The official .mobi, .asia, .IDN sucks thread

[soggyindo]

The official .mobi/ .asia/ .me/ .TV sucks thread

It seems every good thread these days gets filled with .mobi/ .asia/ .IDN/ .TV/ .us, debates. So here's a thread we can have at it! We can also refer people here if things get heated.



I'll start with a neutral statement:

WTF is the point of .mobi?

 

[Sam]

What is Google trends?

"With Google Trends, you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched on Google over time and in which geographic regions people have searched for them most."

Why are people going to search for ".mobi" on Google? It's been around for less than 2 years and you expect normal people to be going onto Google and searching for ".mobi"?

They are more likely to search for "mobile Internet" as seen here http://www.google.com/trends?q=mobile+internet.

What is the first listing?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Web

Is .mobi there? Yes.

Also they are more likely to search for "mobi" IMHO. http://www.google.com/trends?q=mobi as the trends prove.

sigh, when you are looking for a .mobi site you would search something like ESPN.mobi.

ANY search ends with .mobi gets included in the trends graph.

Maybe ill keep silent for another year. I have mostly for 07-08, and seen their prices CRASH.

 

[GF]

I understand you have no interest in .mobi but unfortunately your disinterest is leading to false information about the realities of the expansion of .mobi.

Why does it make you so concerned if what we're saying is "false information"? Wouldn't the market prove us incorrect?

The problem is, the market has spoken. The extension is dead.

 

[qO_Op]

.

 

[GF]

man you spew about personal attacks ... but i think you're the most offensive poster here

Please name one thing I have said that was offensive, and name one personal attack I have made.

If there is a person here whose name is "Dot Mobey" then I would apologize to them.

The last time I checked, we were discussing a domain extension.

 

[scandiman]

Why does it make you so concerned if what we're saying is "false information"?

surprising you would even ask this question GF. Do you want forum full of false information?

Wouldn't the market prove us incorrect?

The problem is, the market has spoken. The extension is dead.

The market? Which market? Domainers who want to make money from parking are not interested in .mobi? I scream Hallelujah!

 

[GF]

I decided to remove this post... No need to quote rubbish.

 

[qO_Op]

Think what you want. Laters.

 

[Work In Progress]

This AIN'T 1986. Your not going to see a new BOOM of user adoption.

Look at .info, .biz, .eu, .asia for your more valid comparisons.

This is the main point most domainers don't take into consideration. The mobile internet is in it's infancy, much like the early dotCom years.

You give some very irrelevant examples in .info, .biz, .eu and all of the other red-headed stepchild TLD's. They're all designed for PC viewing. The fact remains that dotMobi is the ONLY TLD designed for a different medium.

It takes time to develop, then market the mobile web-space. Develop first...then market...then people will start realizing what it is and search for it. Pretty basic stuff, really, but it goes over so many heads. Way too many expect instant development, instant marketing and instant adoption. Otherwise, it's a failure. You're very much entitled to your opinions. Actually, quite happy I'm one of those who can visualize beyond and capture the early audience. I'll take that.

 

[GF]

This is the main point most domainers don't take into consideration. The mobile internet is in it's infancy, much like the early dotCom years.

You give some very irrelevant examples in .info, .biz, .eu and all of the other red-headed stepchild TLD's. They're all designed for PC viewing. The fact remains that dotMobi is the ONLY TLD designed for a different medium.

It takes time to develop, then market the mobile web-space. Develop first...then market...then people will start realizing what it is and search for it. Pretty basic stuff, really, but it goes over so many heads. Way too many expect instant development, instant marketing and instant adoption. Otherwise, it's a failure. You're very much entitled to your opinions. Actually, quite happy I'm one of those who can visualize beyond and capture the early audience. I'll take that.

Mark,

In your opinion, how much time will it take? Wouldn't you agree that there comes a time when someone should cut their losses?

 

[Work In Progress]

Mark,

In your opinion, how much time will it take?

Two years is certainly not nearly enough time. How long does it take to design and develop a nice mobile domain? Depends on your priorities. Everyone recognizes the mobile web, and most agree it will have a strong future. But as of today, it's still very limited due to many different reasons. How long 'til the mobile web hits big in the states? Who knows?

Wouldn't you agree that there comes a time when someone should cut their losses?

Sure do. The ones who expected riches by doing nothing except park or hold their names for a few months or possibly years will not be too happy. And since this is "Domaining 101" mentality. I have no complaints off of the ones I've sold. But the majority of mine are not for sale...yet. I even regged some more last night. Did I do this in hopes of getting visitors to a parked site? Nope. I see a great practical mobile application for a developed site, and I jump on it. Should I dump my portfolio of .mobi's because the corporate world is doing what it does naturally.....moving S___L___O___W? Everybody has a different degree of risk they're willing to take. I look at my approach of developing and capturing an audience as low risk. A parker has much higher risk.

Just my opinions.

 

[DomainTalker]

Mark,

In your opinion, how much time will it take? Wouldn't you agree that there comes a time when someone should cut their losses?

GF....good question.

I agree with WIP, the whole mobile web, itself, is truly in its infancy.....Com crawled for the first few years - I know its hard to remember how it was then (and, many are too young to remember) - but, it was the early days of slow & unreliable dial-up, few websites, poor quality tools & websites, undeveloped online payment systems, and small numbers of internet mainstream users, who mainly used the internet for email only, anyway...


Only two years into the .Com & internet era, the penetration and performance of .com was so sparse that (by today's expectations) everyone would have been screaming: '.Com's a FAILURE - and SUCKS...!!'......But, in time, it grew...


Mobile internet use needs to reach mainstream critical mass usage - a point where its normal for everyone to be online, all the time, on their mobile phones....Its only a tiny percentage now.


Then, the choice of the most convenient extension - that guarantees the easiest, made-for-mobile quality - will emerge...

I happen to think that .mobi will be right up there, when that point happens...Not the only mobile access mechanism, but recognised as very efficient....and therefore it'll be well used.


How long?....No one knows....But, 5 years, at least....


that's why I say the jury's still well out on .mobi, imo...

.

 

[Kate]

This is the main point most domainers don't take into consideration. The mobile internet is in it's infancy, much like the early dotCom years.

I hope you are not expecting a second gold rush like the .com boom of the mid-90s, cause I doubt a second goldrush is going to happen ever again (maybe for IDNs to some extent but mobile ?).

Two years on it seems clear that the dust has settled somewhat and mobi is not going to be the gold standard for mobile, certainly not as long as it is shunned by the major, household websites (how many Alexa top 500 sites do actually promote mobi ?).

Kudos to American Airlines for their wisdom in sticking to proven, established web principles of device independence, content negotiation techniques, and not further balkanizing the Web with another useless, doomed extension
(fair enough, they have their .mobi and .asia as unused, defensive regs that only benefit the registry)

RIP mobi et all 2008 8-X (I forgot .jobs last time)

 

[scandiman]

To all mobi bashers who say .mobi is dead, RIP etc.. can you please explain what you mean when you say an extension is dead?

 

[Work In Progress]

I hope you are not expecting a second gold rush like the .com boom of the mid-90s, cause I doubt a second goldrush is going to happen ever again (maybe for IDNs to some extent but mobile ?).

Two years on it seems clear that the dust has settled somewhat and mobi is not going to be the gold standard for mobile, certainly not as long as it is shunned by the major, household websites (how many Alexa top 500 sites do actually promote mobi ?).

Kudos to American Airlines for their wisdom in sticking to proven, established web principles of device independence, content negotiation techniques, and not further balkanizing the Web with another useless, doomed extension
(fair enough, they have their .mobi and .asia as unused, defensive regs that only benefit the registry)

RIP mobi et all 2008 8-X (I forgot .jobs last time)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe we have found Jeff a Soul-Mate...

 

[DomainTalker]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe we have found Jeff a Soul-Mate...

Marriage made in Myopia....

.

 

[GF]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe we have found Jeff a Soul-Mate...

:lol: Kate I would give you more +Rep but I've maxed it already

:tu:

 

[Sam]

To all mobi bashers who say .mobi is dead, RIP etc.. can you please explain what you mean when you say an extension is dead?

To me personally any tld with no traffic or traffic GROWTH is dead, except top keywords of course.

Again, just use google trends a VALID analysis of TRAFFIC.

Remember any *.mobi search COUNTS toward the metric, so if no active use, then no *.mobi searches. Good comparison would be any major tld.

 

[hawkeye]

GF, you seem to present yourself as very knowledgeable and experienced in domaining, and of what is and isn't good or successful, whether it's an extension or domain name, and especially on .mobi. So, we can all just take it that since .mobi wasn't released or 'born' until May of 2006, 'your berating sig' notation of 'Born 2005' just...confirms that knowledge and experience you bring to this discussion.

Always nice to hear from the nose bleed section.

 

[scandiman]

To me personally any tld with no traffic or traffic GROWTH is dead, except top keywords of course.

Again, just use google trends a VALID analysis of TRAFFIC.

Remember any *.mobi search COUNTS toward the metric, so if no active use, then no *.mobi searches. Good comparison would be any major tld.

I'm not an expert in google analytics. Does it measure just search? And if so is it only Google search? Does it count mobile search?

Mobile is a new medium with new players. Carriers are doing their utmost to retain control of their walled gardens which also means search and the ad revenue that comes with it. Google does not have the dominance in mobile that they do on PC. Also stuff like Alexa is rendered useless in mobile, most of that traffic is not counted from what I've been able to find out. For example I have heard from a Nokia employee that often Nokia.mobi gets more traffic than Nokia.com but when you compare the two at Alexa you don't see that at all. I'm finding the tools we rely on in PC web are not applying to the new mobile medium.

 

[Sam]

I believe it counts ANY search on google albiet a pc or mobile, need to check up on it though. Google search is widely available on the mobile version of its site, albiet its google.com. Thus, there is no data bias. People who surf via their phone start off at google.com if they do the same on their pc.