The .TEL Discussion Thread

[brendan52190]

Hi

For this, let's assume that .tel will not be a total flop.

What type of keywords will be most valuable for this extension? Will it be geographical keywords, like newyork.tel, losangeles.tel, etc, or what else?

 

[siga]

poker.tel, any value?

Cant see it myself JD, from a perspective of how to monetise it other than from the actual much sought after keyword.
However while I can see uses in quite a few different names which could work in the extension ie locksmith,Pizza, hotel. As well as being good chips to have if there is a resellers market.

I guess its all about being innovative. Just cant work out how you could innovate it.

I've a few ideas what could work with .tel whether they do or not will be the decider. Just wish I had been able to have a go at preordering Music.tel

 

[daj]

.tel... i dont see it having any value..

it sucks more than .ws/.cc/.name/and .mobi

it will only be good for telephone numbers, maybe?

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

FWIW, I just set up a beta .tel site (available to anyone for a free trial; it's a free temporary page):

http://msdomainer.vip.tel/index.action

The dashboard is pretty easy and intuitive, although it's a bit slow and doesn't recognize some symbols, like ' which is annoying to a person interested in correct ussage, so "Ms Domainer's Feeds" becomes "Ms Domainers Feeds."

Being that this is only a temporary page, I have added only two website links and two sets of keywords. Theoretically, the keywords will help search engines find the site and add it to the targeted rankings--that's what they say, anyway.

You could actually have a directory of websites that YOU choose. Thus, you could sell directory space on a generic site and charge accordingly. So if you had an expensive keyword, you could charge a hefty monthly fee.

I think that will depend how the major search engines will decide how to rank yet another TLD. Phone apps could be powerful; however, I'm not sure how that works.

This literally took me minutes to set up, but I don't know if there will be glitches once the TLD hits the registrars.

By the way, telnic.org shows a scrolling list of trademarks granted during sunrise, and it seems they are taking a liberal view of what constitutes a trademark. For example, Poker.tel has already been awarded to someone; I would have never thought that "poker" was a trademarked name.

I think that telnic uses .org because their instructions are image and text heavy. It is obvious that .tel will never offer actual web page capability but is an actual directory/electronic business card.

*

 

[Jeff]

even worse than .mobi

It's hard to get worse than the failed and misguided "dot Mobey", IMHO ... but the equally lengthy and miserable ".NAME" seems to have managed to do so - while the short and very highly brandable .TEL seems to offer quick and vital contact information for use by those that are out and about and "on the go"! :music: :talk: :imho:

Just my two sense.
-Jeff

 

[Terrains]

By the way, telnic.org shows a scrolling list of trademarks granted during sunrise, and it seems they are taking a liberal view of what constitutes a trademark. For example, Poker.tel has already been awarded to someone; I would have never thought that "poker" was a trademarked name.

I think I scrolled through all of them and saw 'joker.tel' and 'partypoker.tel' but didn't see poker.tel.

I thought it was interesting how microsoft regged

microsoft.tel
xbox.tel
xbox360.tel

I also saw

mcdonalds.tel
happymeal.tel

Look like companies are regging multiple trademarks.

 

[Ms Domainer]

It's hard to get worse than the failed and misguided "dot Mobey", IMHO ... but the equally lengthy and miserable ".NAME" seems to have managed to do so - while the short and very highly brandable .TEL seems to offer quick and vital contact information for use by those that are out and about and "on the go"! :music: :talk: :imho:

Just my two sense.
-Jeff

*

Jeff,

I think you have nailed it exactly. I think .tel does what .mobi should have done in the first place: force owners to be mobile compliant. I actually like the .mobi TLD (as a term), but on an operating level, it's a mess (IMO).

The .tel people seem to be approaching this in the right way (though I would question "poker" as a trademark for a poker site).

I suspect that this TLD will discourage cybersquatting to a certain extent because of the incapability to set up traditional parking pages (not totally foolproof, though).

I noticed that Apple and Porsche (sorry, Mr. Kohler) have secured their .tel domain names.



*

 

[bgmv]

I have one .tel in mind that is available. When would I be able to register it, landrush or now?

 

[Ms Domainer]

I think I scrolled through all of them and saw 'joker.tel' and 'partypoker.tel' but didn't see poker.tel.

I thought it was interesting how microsoft regged

microsoft.tel
xbox.tel
xbox360.tel

I also saw

mcdonalds.tel
happymeal.tel

Look like companies are regging multiple trademarks.

*

Oops--You're right.

It IS joker, not poker.

:red:

A bit of a brain f*rt, I'm afraid.

I could see Joker being TM'd as something else.

*

I have one .tel in mind that is available. When would I be able to register it, landrush or now?

*

Some registrars are allowing pre-registrations, probably one pre-registration per name, per registar (I'm guessing here). On the first day of landrush, I suspect each registrar will act as dropcatchers. (First catch, first get?).

I went through Dotster (which serves the US).

*

 

[wot]

Below is my list of my .tel applications/pre regs:




:gl:

 

[whitebark]

"To find out more about my Internet business you can go to mybiz.tel."

"Can't I just go to your existing website and find that?"

"Well I guess you could but some people conned me into believing duplication is good."

Most useless extension ever.

 

[Jeff]

Most useless extension ever.

Are you talking about the lowly "dot Mobey" ... or the highly brandable .TEL? :gl:

I think you have nailed it exactly. I think .tel does what .mobi should have done in the first place: force owners to be mobile compliant. I actually like the .mobi TLD (as a term), but on an operating level, it's a mess (IMO).

^ Hammer. Head. Nail. :yell:
Except, even as a "term" ... it's also a complete MESS! :imho:

Below is my list of my .tel applications/pre regs:




:gl:

:hehe:

Go get 'em, Mr. Wot! :D

-Jeff

 

[Ms Domainer]

Are you talking about the lowly "dot Mobey" ... or the highly brandable .TEL? :gl:



^ Hammer. Head. Nail. :yell:
Except, even as a "term" ... it's also a complete MESS! :imho:



:hehe:

Go get 'em, Mr. Wot! :D

-Jeff

*

When I lived in Macedonia, the main cell phone company was MobiMak, which might explain my fondness for "mobi" (as a term).

:D

*

 

[JamesDavid]

question: can you use .tel domains for email, example [email protected]?

this would serve to be interesting...

 

[saucey]

I still believe it is possible to make a $h!t Load of money by setting up your .tel as a directory for business.

Again, using the "hotel" example... You could act like a "yellow pages" for hotels! Hotels from all over the world could pay to list on YOUR .tel directory.

It would be much more convenient to type hotels.tel into your blackberry/cellphone/iphone or whatever... and instantly hook into a directory with phone numbers, addresses and website links to hotels in the area which you choose! It could be broken down into Countrys/states/provinces/city's/territory's/districts or even price ranges or ratings... ie 1 STAR - 5 STAR.

I think there is a very good chance for people to make BIG BUCKS with the right names! I don't think you will make big money with names like poker.tel or monkey.tel, however I may be wrong! Just my opinion!

Cheers!

Saucey says Ahoy!

 

[Ms Domainer]

question: can you use .tel domains for email, example [email protected]?

this would serve to be interesting...

*

It appears not.

See the graphic on this page:

http://www.telnic.org/

I did not see this capability on my dashboard.

But it would be an awesome app, wouldn't it?

*

 

[henrysim]

probably will get 1 .tel only. for personal use.

planning to have .tel printed on my name card like this :

Name
phone
email
etc

"For more contact information myname.tel"

 

[Kate]

I still believe it is possible to make a $h!t Load of money by setting up your .tel as a directory for business.

How ?
It takes development and hard work to make money, even with a decent TLD, which .tel is not. The key is to build traffic, attract visitors and last but not least provide a useful service and a great experience so your visitors will be coming back.
Ask yourself: would you even use a .tel domain when looking for directory information ?

 

[saucey]

How ?
It takes development and hard work to make money, even with a decent TLD, which .tel is not. The key is to build traffic, attract visitors and last but not least provide a useful service and a great experience so your visitors will be coming back.
Ask yourself: would you even use a .tel domain when looking for directory information ?

Yes, I would use .tel for certain things.... ie. to find a hotel. It will be useful to find a hotel because everything is at your finger tips and available INSTANTLY. If you are looking for a hotel, you could use your mobile device to search for a hotel in that particular city, in a particular price range and of a particular calliber.

You would not have to find a phonebook or a computer.... you would not even need to know the name of a hotel in that city...just type in hotel.tel and follow the links.

Question... Have you ever used the YellowPages to look up a business?? If you have, then there is a good bet you would use the .tel extension at some point too.. It is essentially the YellowPages for the electronic age!

I realise some of the "old timers" can't wrap their heads around anything other than com/net/org, but like everything... things change and/or improve.

Do I think .tel will be an instant hit????? NO. I think it will take a little bit of time, but once Public Joe becomes aware of it.... .tel (for certain things) will be unstoppable! Think of how much we love our mobile phones...look at text messaging and gaming..... people love being able to do everything from these little things that fit in their top pocket!! You don't have to search for a phonebook or find a computer terminal, nor do you have to wade through endless pages on a search engine site about a single hotel or hotel events or hotel employment or whatever else uses "hotel" as a keyword... just whip out your phone/blackberry or whatever and enter hotel.tel and you can conveniently have the phone number/address/map directions to/website address/price ranges/ratings and more.

As I stated earlier, the right name could make a ton of cash.... a name like monkey.tel will not IMO.

Cheers!

Saucey McSauce

 

[Coopey]

How ?
It takes development and hard work to make money, even with a decent TLD, which .tel is not. The key is to build traffic, attract visitors and last but not least provide a useful service and a great experience so your visitors will be coming back.
Ask yourself: would you even use a .tel domain when looking for directory information ?

I concur.

I know what .tel is and does.
I'm pretty sure the only times I will ever look at a .tel 'domain' is when I'm reasonably sure I know who owns it i.e. if I wanted to call Joe Bloggs Industries and their number was not to hand, I may remember seeing joebloggsindustries.tel on their contact details and go there for the number.
Say my fictional company, Joe Bloggs Industries, made widgets, I'm not going to go to widgets.tel and wade through a directory (like hotels.tel) to find Joe Bloggs Industries' entry; likewise if I didn't know the company name and was looking for a widget supplier. I'd grab my local phone book or go to yell.com (or similar site) because I know these contain a comprehensive list of companies, whereas it's likely widgets.tel will not.

I suggest everyone who's getting over-excited go back to the telnic site and read again what you can actually do with the sites then ask yourself honestly can I create a big enough directory and spend the amount of money (millions?) required to market this one name to the degree where your average internet user thinks "instead of going to the pizzeria section of my yellow pages, or typing it in to yell.com, I'm going to try that pizzeria.tel site". I'm not saying it can't be done- it can, but it's going to take a hell of a lot of time and money.
With this in mind, I think .tel's best chance is to be marketed as an extension for finding contact info "on the go"- if you've had a look at hotels.tel on your mobile phone it zips along at lightning speed, and most importantly when you've found your result you can download a vCard. (It is brilliant :tu: )

I think anyone planning on buying a generic-y type name, and not planning on sticking a few $£€'s behind it for marketing, is going to be dependent on companies buy their own .tel names, using them and marketing them so that there is greater .tel-awareness amongst users. Even if that happens, I bet a lot still won't go to whatever.tel and stick with the likes of yell.com
(Here's where I can draw a parallel with .mobi, a friend was looking up some results on skysports.com on a mobile phone and it was taking a while to load, I asked "is there a skysports.mobi?", the reply- "what the hell's dot mobey?!" If there had been marketing by anyone of any sort of .mobi name he may have thought to try the .mobi whether or not he knew there was a .mobi site... I'm not picking on .mobi, I'm sure .biz would be met with similar questioning but that's a real-life example)

I can see some of this sounds a bit negative, but I absolutely love the idea behind .tel, and only wish it came around 10+ years ago. If it had, I'm sure it would have become the de facto standard contact system on the internet and mobile devices by now.

To anyone who does try to build a directory, please keep us up-to-date with your progress, and I do wish you all the best.

 

[JamesDavid]

How ?
It takes development and hard work to make money, even with a decent TLD, which .tel is not. The key is to build traffic, attract visitors and last but not least provide a useful service and a great experience so your visitors will be coming back.
Ask yourself: would you even use a .tel domain when looking for directory information ?

I would use one for sure, reason, AD FREE, which really is ideal. Example,

I travel for business frequently, sooo If I am in St. Louis and need a good pizza joint, I hate pizza Hut and other chains...

I type in Pizza.tel,
Click on State Missouri. loading...
click on city St. Louis loading....
now I have a list of 40 pizza places AND ALL there contact info, and I didnt have to see one misleading ad, or wait for stupid graphics to load and best part is unlike a 411 service whic charges me, if I don't like one place after I call I choose another which is right in front of me....

BEST PART HERE:
After I hang up the phone ordering pizza, I click on the address, becuase on my blackberry I can click an address and have it open in my GPS!!!! Now I know EXACTLY where I am going.....

 

[Terrains]

I PRE REGGED 5 names, so they are about $400/each... I got an email this morning saying that a name I pre-regged about 2 months ago is a restricted name: "info.tel" so now I have 4 pre-regged......

*** One thing I do think is funny though.... .tel main site is a .org.... not a .tel..

********** Also why do you think GoDaddy didnt become a reg for the .tel domains?

Not sure, IIRC 133 other registrars offer .tel, including some big ones: networksolutions, name, eurodns, etc.

 

[whitebark]

Some of the reasons for using this dog are rather funny and flimsy under the tiniest of examinations. For example the idea that people will go to plumber.tel to look for a plumber. If they want to find a plumber in their town they will go to google or yahoo like they always have. Or use their yellow pages directory that is dropped off at their door for free. No average joe or jane knows what .tel is nor do they give a carp. Saw these same pipe dreams with mobi - still no traffic two years later, and now .me - with absolutely no traffic but .tel will magically be different...

.tel - as useful as teets on a fish.

 

[JamesDavid]

Some of the reasons for using this dog are rather funny and flimsy under the tiniest of examinations. For example the idea that people will go to plumber.tel to look for a plumber. If they want to find a plumber in their town they will go to google or yahoo like they always have. Or use their yellow pages directory that is dropped off at their door for free. No average joe or jane knows what .tel is nor do they give a carp. Saw these same pipe dreams with mobi - still no traffic two years later, and now .me - with absolutely no traffic but .tel will magically be different...

.tel - as useful as teets on a fish.

For being such a non-believer you sure do frequent this thread often! Maybe you have a soft spot for the .tel and the standards it holds....

the thing that excites me most is this.....

.TEL HAS STANDARDS.... IT IS DIFFERENT... yes maybe in a bad way maybe in a good way but it has uniform standards which makes it different than any other domain... .mobi is no different than .com .ws or .cc ...

I firmly believe the last thing the world needs is another extension, so i was happy to see that at least this extension serves a purpose and will hold the name to standards...

Don't forget to with enough backing .tel will continued to be developed....

 

[Terrains]

Oxford.tel
UniversityOfOxford.tel
Harvard.tel

have been successfully secured by the respective schools.

 

[Shahid7]

I still believe it is possible to make a $h!t Load of money by setting up your .tel as a directory for business.

Again, using the "hotel" example... You could act like a "yellow pages" for hotels! Hotels from all over the world could pay to list on YOUR .tel directory.

It would be much more convenient to type hotels.tel into your blackberry/cellphone/iphone or whatever... and instantly hook into a directory with phone numbers, addresses and website links to hotels in the area which you choose! It could be broken down into Countrys/states/provinces/city's/territory's/districts or even price ranges or ratings... ie 1 STAR - 5 STAR.

I think there is a very good chance for people to make BIG BUCKS with the right names! I don't think you will make big money with names like poker.tel or monkey.tel, however I may be wrong! Just my opinion!

Cheers!

Saucey says Ahoy!

Saucey that was very well said, i m new here and i did register .tel 10 secs right after they opened their pre orders i have around 10 and hopefully chances are 90/100 lets hope for the best

it was wise not to invest my orders into country name or other things like trademark so i guess so far i m safe.

as you said .tel is made for connectivity with people through all mediums now if you talk about .tel against other domain or site.

i personally use blackberry bold , if i load a page on it and look for contacts then i need a pen to even right it down and all that. where as if i go to like you said hotel.tel i see it there and i click on it and it automatically starts dialing or when i click on email it takes me straight to email them and make a booking on the move.

buying domains name of people or verbs would be unwise in my opinion if you really want to make money on .tel make it more creative and something that we all use in daily life for which we have to lookup our phonebooks or ask reference from others.

.tel is a hit 10/10 , please do not spoil the image of it and let people lose money incase they can have an opportunity.

Thanks

Shahid

How ?
It takes development and hard work to make money, even with a decent TLD, which .tel is not. The key is to build traffic, attract visitors and last but not least provide a useful service and a great experience so your visitors will be coming back.
Ask yourself: would you even use a .tel domain when looking for directory information ?

thanks for ur post, yes i belive that will all my heart but .tel is a phonebook/directory and to make it famous with different words
yes it will take time but if you have generic one keyword words like
hotel or hotels for example it will be indexed quit good.

yes i will look up a .tel for i fully support it.