"What can .tel can do, that .com can't do?": Here the answer.
@ DubDubDubDot:
Your quote:
"...just ONE thing that .tel can do that .com can't do. Maybe you could give us one example.":
Answer:
.tel is focused on communications, not content, and it can be accessed in the right format across all browsers and many devices without needing to open a browser.
Furthermore, .tel information can bypass the Web completely and be accessed through applications directly on PCs or mobile devices.
A .tel also supports search engine optimization out of the box, as all of the information is stored as machine-readable, standards-based records with descriptions, so Google can index it and understand it better than a traditional Web site.
.tel domains are designed to compliment your existing website. By linking the two you can improve your position on search engines like Google.
.tel is the first domain that allows you to publish information to the Web, from any device, without the need for a Web site. .tel information can even be accessed without having to open a Web browser.
Some are referring to this as the "Webless Web," because it requires no ongoing fees for Web hosting, no Web coding, and can be changed at a moment's notice to be updated.
As a .tel address is not a Web site, people accessing the information over mobile devices will get to it as quickly as their Internet connection allows.
.Tel content is fully structured and published on the domain name server (DNS) rather than the World Wide Web. That makes it easily read and indexed by search engine crawlers, strengthening your presence in search results. This important SEO tool can help drive traffic to your Web site and may result in increased sales.
The technology behind .tel allows for the data to load much quicker than other domains including .com making it ideal for pocket internet surfing devices.
Whenever you type
Henri Asseily you get data, which is not hosted by any server, but is contained in the domain name server itself.
The most interesting (and useful) difference between .tel and other gTLD's (generic top-level domains) is in the DNS. From the Telnic FAQ, "...the value of a .tel domain lies with the ability to host personal (or corporate) contact information directly in the DNS, which can then be universally accessible. This stands in contrast to the typical use of the DNS for other TLDs, in which the DNS only provides a mapping between domain names and IP addresses."
When a user needs to look-up the email address or phone number of an individual or business, the software can simply run a DNS query against a .tel to retrieve the latest contact information.
The .tel concept:
It's clearly an innovative and unique way to let folks stay in touch with one another using some relatively unexplored features of DNS. For the most part, I'd describe .tel as a cross between a typical DNS and WHOIS query. Unfortunately, .tel won't be as useful as I'd like until more users and software platforms adopt it as an information-sharing standard. Given the abundance of free social networking services, it may be hard to convince most users to pay an annual fee to keep their contact information online. However, if a large online player like Google begins to adopt .tel as a standard in many of its services, .tel domains could become valuable and useful tools.
So Bob the window cleaner who previously used the Yellow Pages communicating to a local audience can suddenly reach a far broader audience and have a Web presence with a .tel address.
The best part is he can do all of this without incurring the sometimes significant fees associated with designing and maintaining a Web site.
With .tel if Bob drops his cell phone into his bucket of water he can quickly switch his .tel address to point people to another number and not lose any customers.
Similarly, a large company that needs to get an emergency number out quickly to manage a crisis or product recall can use.tel to publish information on the Internet within seconds, complying with best practices in corporate communications and disclosure.
Search engines already visit the DNS to look up records. In fact, it's already quicker for these engines to read all of the information from the DNS which is formatted in a way that they understand than information residing on a traditional Web site.
As .tel is structured information with labels in each record, it's Googlejuice. And, of course, it can provide another link to drive better discovery and linkage to your existing Web properties.
The point about .tel is that it is a whole new way of using technology that has the potential to grow very fast.
A .tel domain allows you to create a personalised or branded online presence without needing to secure hosting, develop web pages or purchase email accounts.
