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?

 

[saucey]

Not that I have too much of an emotional investment in what we are called, but I think the term "Telecaster" (a play on the word broadcaster) might be more appealing. :blink:

"Telecaster" That is a "Fender" Guitar.... could be a TM issue... LOL!

 

[cobo]

Did you have that why.me why.tel along with your why.mobi for great awareness campaign Mr. cobo?

Hehehe!
Although it could be construed as an awareness campaign, it really is just a tongue in cheek play about those who question another’s free will choice in domain TLD selection.
BTW, I did not do the why.mobi domain. I wish I did though as it is a nice explanation for it’s need.
As for the others in my sig, they are also not actual domains owned by me, but I guess the real owners are getting a little free publicity.
Now, here is the answer to the questions posed: Why Not?
I never question another person’s choice of TLD although I sometimes quietly question some of the actual domain names chosen…
even my own!

 

[Sam]

If .tel even comese close to half of .mobi sales, I will be impressed. In fact, I think .TRAVEL segmented keywords have a better shot at branding and success then .TEL segmented keywords.

Lets wait and see for a couple months, and see if they start appearing in mainstream media.

 

[GF]

I will say this, Telnic didn't drop the ball when rolling out .TEL like "some" extensions have:

"Some of the world’s most recognisable organisations and figures, from Microsoft to Ferrari, Bono to J. K. Rowling have already secured new .tel addresses."
(http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5643513.ece)

 

[CDM]

I will say this, Telnic didn't drop the ball when rolling out .TEL like "some" extensions have:

"Some of the world’s most recognisable organisations and figures, from Microsoft to Ferrari, Bono to J. K. Rowling have already secured new .tel addresses."
(http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5643513.ece)

Lets not forget the big reality shows. If american idol and x-factor and the rest do in fact incorporate .tel into their live voting systems as was suggested will be the case by telnic i think wide scale adoption would take place a lot sooner then some think, no doubt within a few seasons

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2009/19/c7885.html

American Idol, the X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Australian Idol, Pop
Idol and Star Academy and many others have registered their .tel domains.

...Other broadcast organizations and channels from the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC), BSkyB, Virgin Media and ITV through to Fox, CBS, Discovery, HBO, MTV, Canal+ and the Movie Channel have also registered their .tel domains.

if the entire list of these shows and broadcast organizations were to begin to use, advertise, and market their .tels, no one will not know about it

 

[Kate]

Each time a new TLD is launched TM holders 'must' register their brands to avoid cybersquatting. I would not call that an endorsement.

 

[MicroGuy]

Each time a new TLD is launched TM holders 'must' register their brands to avoid cybersquatting. I would not call that an endorsement.

Yes. Just because the companies are registering .TELs by no means indicates any plans for serious development. You can find companies registering their names in almost any extension. This TLD has been marketed to domainers from the beginning (see banner(s) at bottom of home page).

 

[phase111]

Yes. Just because the companies are registering .TELs by no means indicates any plans for serious development. You can find companies registering their names in almost any extension. This TLD has been marketed to domainers from the beginning (see banner(s) at bottom of home page).

Yes, i'd almost agree with you, at least for many companies..not because they dont believe in .tel but they want to secure their brands, many probably dont even know if .tel will gain critical mass or not, some are securing in case it does, but.... I can definitely see how reality shows like American Idol etc would want to use this new technology- even if it wasnt popular.. it doesnt really need to be, all they need do is get the public to type in americanidol.tel on any internet device (which most mobile phones have now) and very easily and quickly you will arrive at their page and can vote- no need to remember text numbers ever again when voting. This is cleaner, simpler and easier, you just click all teh way to whoever you want to vote for on a simple platform and your done. I think americanidol.tel is easier to remember than a seperate voting text number for each contestant....now if that does happen (and I suspect it will), then that will be a whole lot of free marketing for .tel and this is what can definitely help it reach critical mass much faster. It's amazing how fast new ideas catch on. Don't underestimate the power of reality tv shows. :sold:

 

[WordWalker]

The major issue is that you need to create consumer awareness on a global scale. Few people know the ext even exists so type-in will be virtually nonexistent for some time.
Consumers are more likely to continue using google.com/google maps... this is where I see the future of geo services.

It seems to me, the question is not whether .tel is equal or superior to other tlds. but rather, how will it compare with the current 800/866/877/888 toll free prefix system. Believe it or not, there was once a debate about the potential effect on advertisers by adding new toll free prefixes beyond 800. Today, we don't look at this issue at all. Advertisers are contacted based on the prefix listed in the advertisers' print, broadcast and web content.

Dot tel will be no different. With few exceptions, each business must advertise and promote its own .tel contact information. It may take time for truly unsolicited direct navigation traffic to appear at any significant level, but do you really believe that's going to get in the way of whatever marketing plans Flowers.tel may be getting ready to roll out? What's more, consider the impact and awareness that can be created by just one major advertiser. Now add another dozen or so high profile companies to the mix in addition to the awareness that will kick-in as tens of thousands of genuine end users (!!!) all over the globe register their perfect, personal .tel "vanity" domains. At $20/yr, these will become the ultimate end user names. People who think differently on the potential draw of a great vanity name are kidding themselves.

Back in the day, did any of you ever try to grab a toll free phone number that translated into a premium word? Those who did can appreciate the potential of Telnic. Bottom line: There's no taking a second bite at the .tel apple.

Tel domains I went after based on the above concept:

Tow
Towing
RoadsideAssistance
AutoRepair

PaydayLoans
CheckCashing
CashAdvance

JobSearch

BailBonds

Roofing
Heating
Plumbing
Electrical

Romance

FlowerDelivery

Depression

Report
Reports

Webmaster

Hotline
Hotlines
DirectoryAssistance

Speculative, yes. But a crap-shoot or foolhardy pursuit? I don't think so.

 

[phase111]

It seems to me, the question is not whether .tel is equal or superior to other tlds. but rather, how will it compare with the current 800/866/877/888 toll free prefix system. Believe it or not, there was once a debate about the potential effect on advertisers by adding new toll free prefixes beyond 800. Today, we don't look this issue at all. Advertisers are contacted based on the prefix listed in the advertisers' print, broadcast and web content.

Dot tel will be no different. With few exceptions, each business must advertise and promote its own .tel contact information. It may take time for truly unsolicited direct navigation traffic to appear at any significant level, but do you really believe that's going to get in the way of whatever marketing plans Flowers.tel may be getting ready to roll out? What's more, consider the impact and awareness that can be created by just one major advertiser. Now add another dozen or so high profile companies to the mix in addition to the awareness that will kick-in as tens of thousands of people all over the globe register their perfect, personal .tel "vanity" domains. At $20/yr, these will become the ultimate end user names. People who think differently on the potential draw of a great vanity name are kidding themselves.

Back in the day, did any of you ever try to grab a toll free phone number that translated into a premium word? Those who did can appreciate the potential of Telnic. Bottom line: There's no taking a second bite at the .tel apple.

Tel domains I went after based on the above concept:

Tow
Towing
RoadsideAssistance
AutoRepair

PaydayLoans
CheckCashing
CashAdvance

JobSearch

BailBonds

Roofing
Heating
Plumbing
Electrical

Romance

FlowerDelivery

Depression

Report
Reports

Webmaster

Hotline
Hotlines
DirectoryAssistance

Speculative, yes. But a crap-shoot or foolhardy pursuit? I don't think so.

Some good choices, how many of those names did you actually get? I applied for plumber in a couple prebookings but didnt get it.

 

[mjnels]

I will say this, Telnic didn't drop the ball when rolling out .TEL like "some" extensions have:

"Some of the world’s most recognisable organisations and figures, from Microsoft to Ferrari, Bono to J. K. Rowling have already secured new .tel addresses."
(http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5643513.ece)

huh? i've read your post and that link a couple times and i'm trying to figure out what you mean exactly.

the .tel rollout looks like a typical rollout... can you explain what you mean?

 

[Kate]

all they need do is get the public to type in americanidol.tel on any internet device (which most mobile phones have now) and very easily and quickly you will arrive at their page and can vote

How do they vote ?
Since all .tel 'webpages' will look like http://www.ben.tel/ where are you going to put the voting form ?

 

[mjnels]

I can definitely see how reality shows like American Idol etc would want to use this new technology- even if it wasnt popular.. it doesnt really need to be, all they need do is get the public to type in americanidol.tel on any internet device (which most mobile phones have now) and very easily and quickly you will arrive at their page and can vote- no need to remember text numbers ever again when voting. This is cleaner, simpler and easier, you just click all teh way to whoever you want to vote for on a simple platform and your done. I think americanidol.tel is easier to remember than a seperate voting text number for each contestant....now if that does happen (and I suspect it will), then that will be a whole lot of free marketing for .tel and this is what can definitely help it reach critical mass much faster. It's amazing how fast new ideas catch on. Don't underestimate the power of reality tv shows. :sold:

what you just described is a mobile website, not a contact page.

 

[saucey]

I like this...

"Free Software – Telnic will make available free, open-source applications that support and enhance .tel usage, including plug-ins for Microsoft Outlook®, Windows Mobile® and BlackBerry® devices."

How do they vote ?
Since all .tel 'webpages' will look like http://www.ben.tel/ where are you going to put the voting form ?

Actually Kate... It's all laid out for you right here!

http://my-idol.tel/

 

[plaggypig]

How do they vote ?
Since all .tel 'webpages' will look like http://www.ben.tel/ where are you going to put the voting form ?

Voting form? Those shows make money from premium phone lines and sms. Telnic even has a demonstration of this set up at my-idol.tel.

They spend significant amounts of valuable screen time explaining the various ways viewers can vote - and most of them also invite viewers to visit a website. I can see them using a .tel address at this point, to further increase the likelihood that people will vote using one of the monetised methods.

I'm sure there are plenty of people too lazy to bother trying to remember the various phone numbers - if they knew the .tel then they could easily just tap it up on their mobile device and vote in a matter of seconds.

Again, .tel is far more than just the proxy website.

 

[-AR-]

I am trying to understand as to why some people are so interested in .tel domains, personally I dont see commercial companies using them (there might be some exceptions), which means that they are not going to get advertised much on TV and other locations. But I might be wrong so good luck to everyone.

 

[Kate]

Actually Kate... It's all laid out for you right here!

http://my-idol.tel/

It's just a redirect...

It's like buying a .mobi then telling people to type it in to be redirected to the .com. How convenient
I don't understand the logic really.

It would make more sense to advertise my-idol.tv (it is available BTW).

 

[Ms Domainer]

I will say this, Telnic didn't drop the ball when rolling out .TEL like "some" extensions have:

"Some of the world’s most recognisable organisations and figures, from Microsoft to Ferrari, Bono to J. K. Rowling have already secured new .tel addresses."
(http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5643513.ece)

*

If telnic can get some of those celebrities to hype .tel, such as Rowling or Bono, that would get the TLD out there and ordinary people aware of it.

For better or for worse, celebrity endorsements mean a lot to the masses. It doesn't mean the product is necessarily better, but it's just the way things work.

If telnic could go after celebs who appeal to the teen market, such as the Jonas Brothers fans, this TLD could go viral very quickly.

Never underestimate the power of the teen market.

*

 

[mjnels]

It's just a redirect...

It's like buying a .mobi then telling people to type it in to be redirected to the .com. How convenient
I don't understand the logic really.(it is available BTW).

well, this can actually make sense if the .mobi (or .tel or .whatever) is the one advertised. but if its not advertised.. then for all practical purposes it doesnt really exist.

bank of america advertises bofa.mobi (yes, i know this example is over used).... and i would imagine they redirect you to assure you its a legit bank of america website and not some phishing site.. because being realistic, not many non domainers know about some of these new TLDs.

 

[Sam]

TO the guy who registered 20 .tel names, I can see why you are enamored with the names... but put this in perspective, you can buy a IFFY SOLID LLL.com for $6k right now which no doubt will rise again, basically no risk after 3 years and sell for profit. Putting 6 grand into a new extention is risky IMO, but each to his own thing. I saw that .mobi bubble and people who sold early, like mr mjnels got $$$$$$$.

Anyhow, you could be the smart business man and sell at the bubble, but its hard to make a profit when you already throw down $300 a name!!