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What's the difference between .tel and .mobi?
Apparently, a lot!
From what I can tell, .tel is primarily for mobile device use. It's like an electronic business card that can be updated immediately by the owner and be fully accessible to mobile devices. Users will be able to set their own parameters (private info, accessible only to a specified list and public, available to all), but within a very specific format. In other words, you won't be able to add bells and whistles to it; its simplicity is its strength. As long as you pay your registration fee, your .tel address is something you can place on a physical business card, a name that will never change, even if you change jobs, emails, etc.--that is, if you remember to keep your .tel info current.
You can also add keywords for search engine optimization. For example, for my profile, I would add "writer," "educator," "domainer" as my main keywords.
This info comes from here:
http://www.telnic.com/registrars/downloads/vipguide.pdf
And, yes, there is a web presence, albeit minimal. See:
http://justin.vip.tel/
I'm not connected in any way with telnic. Like all of you, I'm just curious as to why this service is any different than any other TLD. I would think that you could set up a simple "card" yourself that would resolve well on mobile devices. You would just have to refrain from putting a lot of bells and whistles on the "card."
For example, why couldn't I take writer [dot] me (which I own and is not for sale) and set up an electronic card on a subdomain, such as Ms[dot]writer[dot].me (don't click; the subdomain doesn't exist).
Or you could dedicate an entire domain for this purpose; I recently registered a three-letter .me, which would work well for a card (because it's short), although it's not very descriptive of me. On the other hand, I was able to nab my son's initials (.me).
From what I can tell, the only advantages to .tel: (1) the possibility of getting your first name or last name domain as an electronic business card. Or a descriptor of what you do for a living, such as lawyer or doctor, which, of course, are gone in other TLDs. (2) Having a preset card template.
Flipping possibilities? At this point, minimal. It's really expensive (landrush "premium" = $375.00 for three years). In the future? Maybe, but it's a long shot.
Having said this, I have applied for two, hoping to get one, but not totally upset if I get neither. Kinda hoping I don't get both, though, though I'll deal with it if I do (one is an extreme long shot).
Here's why I have applied for .tel (with the hope of getting one): at some point (and I'm guessing here--I have no inside info), it could be possible to use a .tel for your public Whois information. Certainly the infrastucture would be there. The .tel offers privacy and public features, and the owner decides what is private and public (though I would think that a registrar would specify a minimum amount of available info required).
IMO, investing heavily in .tel would probably not be wise (unless regular prices drop dramatically); in essence, you're selling "contact management" features.
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