.mobi The reality...

[jeremyp]

Mobile web surfing is barely in it's adoption-infancy.

Calling .mobi a failure before the toddler can stand... chicken little.

Calling .mobi a failure before the toddler can stand... player hater.

Mobile is limited by bandwidth, hardware and immediate corporate ROI (despite industry growth projections).

We're 4+ years from being able to even think about calling for success or failure.

Jeremy Padawer

 

[Jeff]

From the Amtrak.com FAQ's page: :gl:

Q. Do I need to enter a special URL in order to reach the mobile friendly Amtrak site?

A. No, just type in Amtrak.com. The technology employed will automatically read the device from which you are making the request and provide you with the information in the correct format.

-Jeff

 

[garrett200]

I respectfully disagree, IMHO. :blink:

There's nothing to disagree about. When someone types in "amtrak.mobi", they get the Amtrak mobile website.

And, the company is promoting "amtrak.mobi" as their stand-alone mobile portal. Case closed.

May 3, 2007
Amtrak Launches .mobi Site to Provide Even Greater Online Access for Passengers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Continuing in its role as a leader in online access, Amtrak today announced the launch of Amtrak.mobi, a new domain for Amtrak.com users. The .mobi domain is designed to guide mobile users to made-for-mobile Internet content and services that can be accessed with the confidence of knowing a site will work on practically any mobile phone. Because the Amtrak.mobi site is optimized for smaller screens, it provides easy access to the train reservation and information systems of Amtrak.com using most web-enabled mobile devices including cell phones and PDAs.

Amtrak.mobi is the first travel site in the United States to offer customers the ability to purchase a ticket using a mobile device. In addition, users may also access their booking profile and view up-to-date train status information. The site complements Amtrak Mobile, the mobile web-accessing system that Amtrak launched last summer. Like Amtrak Mobile, information viewed through Amtrak.mobi is available in both English and Spanish.

"With the growth of our online ticket sales - which now total 42% of all sales - providing our passengers with convenient access to Amtrak.com is a priority," said Kathleen Gordon, Senior Director E-Commerce. "Launching our Amtrak.mobi site ensures that we are able to reach the greatest number of passengers because our .mobi domain is accessible from practically any web-enabled phone and PDA."

About Amtrak

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 21,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com.

About dotMobi

dotMobi (the informal name of mTLD Top Level Domain, Ltd.), a consortium based in Dublin, Ireland with offices in Washington, DC and Beijing, is leading the growth of Internet use from mobile phones with the .mobi domain name. Unique among domain name providers, dotMobi ensures that services and sites developed around .mobi are optimized for use by mobile devices. On-the-go consumers can have confidence that an Internet site or service will work on their mobile phones when using .mobi address.

dotMobi is backed by leading mobile operators, network & device manufacturers, and internet content providers, including Ericsson, GSM Association, Hutchison 3, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, TIM, Visa and Vodafone. dotMobi is also a sponsor of W3C?s Mobile Web Initiative.

For more information on dotMobi domains and registration information, visit http://mtld.mobi. Visit the dotMobi blog at http://blog.mobi. For more information, please contact:

Vance Hedderel
dotMobi
+1-703-485-5563
[email protected]

Danielle Siemon
A&R Edelman for dotMobi
+1-650-762-2947
[email protected]

Sasha Manners
Edelman UK for dotMobi
+44-(0)20-7344-1200
[email protected]

 

[hawkeye]

Garrett, you're wasting your time. Gloom and Doom, has his mind set on what should and shouldn't be, and will keep using the same ole tired retorts over and over again, no matter how many times it's pointed out the pointlessness of his lame IMHOs etc. I find it really hysterical that if you look at his recent postings, the first two pages are all in the mobi forum! He doesn't post in the other domain threads anything! He's always trolling the mobi forum, and constantly ragging on the viability and future of it, and posting the same things over and over. He has no credibility with anyone here anymore, and actually thinks his tired IMHOs or whatevers are of some value, no matter how many times it's been pointed out how they are flawed. Someone with 'maybe' 4 mobi names, and power names at that - 'honkers' and 'skedaddle' , and yet he posts over and over again the same lame statements, like people are actually influenced by his POVs. Good grief!

 

[scandiman]

The reality...

...is that it is sad that redirects are still being debated here.

 

[PVFARKAS]

Jeffired!

 

[Jeff]

Opinions!

...is that it is sad that redirects are still being debated here.

Again, I simply disagree ... an old May 3rd "Press Release" of an Amtrak.mobi domain name that redirects to a .COM site is not what I deem either newsworthy or supportive of the .MOBI "ecosystem" IMHO. And again, here is directly from the Amtrak.com website:

From the Amtrak.com FAQ's page: :gl:

Q. Do I need to enter a special URL in order to reach the mobile friendly Amtrak site?

A. No, just type in Amtrak.com. The technology employed will automatically read the device from which you are making the request and provide you with the information in the correct format.

I fully support stand-alone, developed .MOBI's such as the PR firm's own .MOBI ... and I guess we can just agree to disagree on the point regarding "redirects" going forward, no worries.
I'm personally looking for more substance with respect to posted .MOBI news!

PS.
Please see the May thread entitled standalone sites for further reference and clarification! :gl:
Also, by contrast, BMW.mobi is a good example of a developed .MOBI website (adding to the "ecosystem"), IMHO. :music:

Someone with 'maybe' 4 mobi names, and power names at that - 'honkers' and 'skedaddle' ... Good grief!

Honkers.mobi and Skedaddle.mobi have both long been :sold: (for profit) - thanks, kindly! :music:
-Jeff

-Jeff

 

[BocaVision]

Jeffrey, remove those butter-smudged glasses and put down that Bud Lite.

I encourage you to walk into a Bank of America and look around....pick up a brochure, look at their marketing collateral that promotes their Mobile Web site....all said destinations feature BOFA.mobi

Bank of America has 40 million customers. Imagine 40 million customers receiving a brochure featuring BOFA.mobi....exposure, mindshare, awareness...

But guess what, BOFA.mobi redirects to

https://www.bankofamerica.com/mobile/

and nobody cares they are redirected and nobody is aware they have been redirected....the only thing that is staring them in the eyes when they shut off the computer and pick up their Dr.Pepers & buttery popcorn is BOFA.mobi on the Bank of America mailer...embedded, entrenched, branded in their brains...BOFA.mobi, BOFA.mobi BOFA.mobi

 

[Pred]

Jeffrey, remove those butter-smudged glasses and put down that Bud Lite.

I encourage you to walk into a Bank of America and look around....pick up a brochure, look at their marketing collateral that promotes their Mobile Web site....all said destinations feature BOFA.mobi

Bank of America has 40 million customers. Imagine 40 million customers receiving a brochure featuring BOFA.mobi....exposure, mindshare, awareness...

But guess what, BOFA.mobi redirects to

https://www.bankofamerica.com/mobile/

and nobody cares they are redirected and nobody is aware they have been redirected....the only thing that is staring them in the eyes when they shut off the computer and pick up their Dr.Pepers & buttery popcorn is BOFA.mobi on the Bank of America mailer...embedded, entrenched, branded in their brains...BOFA.mobi, BOFA.mobi BOFA.mobi

exactement.mobi
:hehe:

anyone tried bofa.com ?
guess where that honey goes? https://www.bankofamerica.com/Control.do?page=corp_bofacom

oh well,, i guess they'll let bofa.com drop
keep an eye out at snapnames Jeff :hehe:

 

[Jeff]

... and nobody cares they are redirected and nobody is aware they have been redirected....the only thing that is staring them in the eyes when they shut off the computer and pick up their Dr.Pepers & buttery popcorn is BOFA.mobi on the Bank of America mailer...embedded, entrenched, branded in their brains...BOFA.mobi, BOFA.mobi BOFA.mobi

Fair enough from a branding perspective ... but, still, the importance of building out the larger developed "ecosystem" (including the 1000's of reserved/premium/RFP's) will have far greater impact on the actual .MOBI brand & awareness than a few single redirects, IMHO. But your point is understood, and I thank you for the post! :gl:
Onward and upward ...

keep an eye out at snapnames Jeff :hehe:

Okie, I'll keep my eyes peeled! :cy: :hehe:
-Jeff

 

[mjnels]

these threads are going to be hilarious in 10 years or so... whatever the turnout.

we've been debating the same exact thing for the last year pretty much... hehe... whenever people are watching a subject this closely.. days tend to seem like months and years will seem like a century.


yes yes i know.. critical ecosystem imho, race against time, critical content building racing time etc etc etc bleh...

 

[GeoOwners]

these threads are going to be hilarious in 10 years or so... whatever the turnout.

we've been debating the same exact thing for the last year pretty much... hehe... whenever people are watching a subject this closely.. days tend to seem like months and years will seem like a century.


yes yes i know.. critical ecosystem imho, race against time, critical content building racing time etc etc etc bleh...

Whats hilarious is the time people spend on the same old subjects for months on end...I wish I had so much time on my hands...



.

 

[Jeff]

Good point.

these threads are going to be hilarious in 10 years or so... whatever the turnout.

we've been debating the same exact thing for the last year pretty much... hehe... whenever people are watching a subject this closely.. days tend to seem like months and years will seem like a century.


yes yes i know.. critical ecosystem imho, race against time, critical content building racing time etc etc etc bleh...

Righto, it sure will be interesting to see how it all plays out ... the discussion and debate, I think, is informative and healthy - as you say, regardless of outcome, IMHO. Who knows, perhaps even our friends at mTLD are taking notes and "tweaking" things as they read and absorb some of our, at times, LIVELY thoughts & opinions! :yell: :lala:

One thing I feel deep in my heart, though, is for the "ecosystem" (including, and especially, fully developed RFP's) ... for without it being uniquely developed for those "on the go" and growing, I fear the worst for the extension, humbly.
This is the reality, in my view!

See you soon.
-Jeff

 

[scandiman]

... and nobody cares they are redirected and nobody is aware they have been redirected....the only thing that is staring them in the eyes when they shut off the computer and pick up their Dr.Pepers & buttery popcorn is BOFA.mobi on the Bank of America mailer...embedded, entrenched, branded in their brains...BOFA.mobi, BOFA.mobi BOFA.mobi

Fair enough from a branding perspective ... but, still, the importance of building out the larger developed "ecosystem" (including the 1000's of reserved/premium/RFP's) will have far greater impact on the actual .MOBI brand & awareness than a few single redirects, IMHO. But your point is understood, and I thank you for the post! :gl:
Onward and upward ...

What, do my eyes deceive me? Are you finally understanding the inherent value in .mobi is the branding associated with the TLD? You can't in good logic continue to hang on to the notion that a redirect is bad. What matters is what is promoted. Right now in these early days of .mobi I'll take 100 bofa.mobi's redirected to something else that are being advertised and promoted over 100 generic.mobi's that are never promoted but are entirely coded to their respective .mobi domain.

The priority is public awareness and bofa.mobi is doing just that. If it redirected to BankofAmerica.mobi, the brand being promoted still is bofa.mobi, that's what people will remember. Glad to see there is hope that your turd colored .com glasses™ may finally come off.

 

[Jeff]

What, do my eyes deceive me? Are you finally understanding the inherent value in .mobi is the branding associated with the TLD? You can't in good logic continue to hang on to the notion that a redirect is bad. What matters is what is promoted. Right now in these early days of .mobi I'll take 100 bofa.mobi's redirected to something else that are being advertised and promoted over 100 generic.mobi's that are never promoted but are entirely coded to their respective .mobi domain.

The priority is public awareness and bofa.mobi is doing just that. If it redirected to BankofAmerica.mobi, the brand being promoted still is bofa.mobi, that's what people will remember. Glad to see there is hope that your turd colored .com glasses™ may finally come off.

Don't get too excited :p ... here's my quote in response to Micheal's post: :gl:

Fair enough from a branding perspective ... but, still, the importance of building out the larger developed "ecosystem" (including the 1000's of reserved/premium/RFP's) will have far greater impact on the actual .MOBI brand & awareness than a few single redirects, IMHO. But your point is understood, and I thank you for the post! :gl:
Onward and upward ...

I thought the inherent value in .MOBI is its "trustmark"?
Also, I never said that redirects are bad, but I still maintain they are not developed and thus not adding to the developed .MOBI "ecosystem", which is critical IMHO. :gl:

Paul, what is your opinion of the latest events out of mTLD regarding the remaining RFP's?!? :talk:

Thanks for any insight and have a pleasant domain name Sunday! :music:
-Jeff

 

[scandiman]

I thought the inherent value in .MOBI is its "trustmark"?

That's what helps build the brand. The two are tied together. That's why Bank of America chose to use bofa.mobi instead of bofa.net or bofa.us or bofa.biz for their mobile banking initiative. Not sure if they even own those.

Also, I never said that redirects are bad, but I still maintain they are not developed and thus not adding to the developed .MOBI "ecosystem", which is critical IMHO. :gl:

Tell that to the multiple thousands of customers that have used bofa.mobi so far. Your splitting technical hairs that the public doesn't give any care to. If there are a dozen customers who notice and care about the redirect I would be surprised. This is an ivory tower argument that no one but some die hard mobi antagonists continue to foment today.

Paul, what is your opinion of the latest events out of mTLD regarding the remaining RFP's?!? :talk:

The latest news I am aware of for sports, news and ringtones is that they have not been awarded to date, based upon the poor quality of the RFP applications according to mTLD. Since I am not privileged to see the applications for myself I can't comment on that.

 

[Jeff]

The latest news I am aware of for sports, news and ringtones is that they have not been awarded to date, based upon the poor quality of the RFP applications according to mTLD. Since I am not privileged to see the applications for myself I can't comment on that.

Yeah, that's what I read as well ... wish they could have secured those remaining RFP's (as well as placed some of those, literally, 1,000's of reserved/premiums into the hands of developers, as well)! It's unfortunate at this pivotal time (for the extension), IMHO. Thanks for the post, Paul. :gl:

PS. Speaking of the applications and possible innerworkings of mTLD, etc., I wonder if there is an arrangement between mTLD and Bank Of America in their using of the Bofa.mobi domain name for branding and promotional purposes, such as like co-op advertising monies/budgets, so forth? Or if there is a contract to use it for a set period of time? :blink:
-Jeff

 

[acc]

... Speaking of the applications and possible innerworkings of mTLD, etc., I wonder if there is an arrangement between mTLD and Bank Of America in their using of the Bofa.mobi domain name for branding and promotional purposes, such as like co-op advertising monies/budgets, so forth? Or if there is a contract to use it for a set period of time? :blink:
-Jeff

It's a good thing for some that free speech allows near-libelous comments. Why does every positive piece of news about .mobi or mtld have to immediately be met with not only consistent skepticism but with negative insinuations?

One thing I feel deep in my heart, though, is for the "ecosystem" (including, and especially, fully developed RFP's) ... for without it being uniquely developed for those "on the go" and growing, I fear the worst for the extension, humbly. This is the reality, in my view!

It must be tough sometimes, being the remaining standardbearer for the mobi haters, ill-wishers, and skeptics - excepting the occasional thread visits with never-positive comments from the dwindling drive-by detractors.

The door to the MTLD residence opens, there's a flaming bag full of dog doo on the step, you are the kid left standing there holding the box of matches, and your dot-com-only buddies have all Skedaddled.

Aside from short-lived sympathy for the storied skedaddlee, scores of mobiers see sustained skepticism, shameless stubbornness, statements saturated with stupid smileys, and that chalkboard-scrathing shmecosystem sermon.

It's a beautiful day today - the sun is out and the sky is blue. One can appreciate all that is in front of them or they may choose to just focus on the few clouds.

Get out and enjoy the crisp cool NE day.

 

[Jeff]

... Why does every positive piece of news about .mobi or mtld have to immediately be met with not only consistent skepticism but with negative insinuations?

No need to be so dramatic, Acc ... I think you simpy missed the questions in my referenced post, IMHO. :gl:
No worries.

It's a beautiful day today - the sun is out and the sky is blue. One can appreciate all that is in front of them or they may choose to just focus on the few clouds.

Get out and enjoy the crisp cool NE day.

Now you're talking ... I see the sun and it's indeed beautiful! :wave:
Chat soon, friend.
-Jeff

 

[scandiman]

No need to be so dramatic, Acc ... I think you simpy missed the questions in my referenced post, IMHO. :gl:
No worries.

What I see in Acc's post is not drama but frustration.

 

[namewaiter]

What I see in Acc's post is not drama but frustration.

isn't that his goal?