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?

 

[gkjunior]

Hey junior - spare me the humble pie advice. I don't invest in junk. In particular, I don't *force* others to invest in junk when I know that it is crud - on the contrary, I let others know how crappy it is.

Yes, we heard the story before: .tel is something of a special TLD, in the sense that a retard child is special and needs special care.

So please don't tell us that all the keywords of the rainbow are doable in .tel because that's what the .tel fanbois have been claiming all along.

Have you seen the numbers? Please explain to me why 200k .tel domains were registered in 3 months from launch to mid-summer last year, then only 30k-40k more to this day? Perhaps TelNIC hoarded a lot of these names? And now I've seen 2-for-1 registrations for .tel and TelNIC releasing 2 and 1 character .tel domains. I mean, ok. I understand that since the boat is sunk the rats want out with one final bite of the cheese.

If I need a biz card, a contact page I can do that on ANY TLD with a real web site. I don't need a .tel

The humble pie is not advise. It is what you will be served senior. I am as certain of that fact as you are that the .tel is junk. Stay hungry.

 

[Acroplex]

Note: "advice" is the noun - "advise" is a verb.

All impressionable .tel fans are counting their beans but is there any money in that TLD?

gkjunior, for a 29-poster you sure have a low ratio of involvement in the domain community to speak of serving *me* humble pie. Perhaps you need to take your threats elsewhere.

---------- Post added 08-13-2010 at 12:05 AM ---------- Previous post was 08-12-2010 at 11:57 PM ----------

Why are .tel fans so afraid of facts and figures? I'd like to hear some unbiased opinions - remove fanboi sticker first.

 

[gkjunior]

Note: "advice" is the noun - "advise" is a verb.

All impressionable .tel fans are counting their beans but is there any money in that TLD?

gkjunior, for a 29-poster you sure have a low ratio of involvement in the domain community to speak of serving *me* humble pie. Perhaps you need to take your threats elsewhere.

I have been here long enough to read your many comments. This is the thread that you come to and unload on the posters that talk positively.

You are not nice about. You make comments that I deem to be below the quality of the language that posters use to positively talk about a tld.

You dont agree and support the tld thats fine. To tell someone that their portfolio is "worthless " and to then beleive that somehow you can make any comment like that and not get a response like the one I posted is realy beleiving that you are above the people in this thread.

No one ever gets hurt with a little humble pie in their life. It makes you a better man.

 

[Acroplex]

Actually, the facts and figures prove me right. In 18 months .tel has not offered one iota of what it promised, all while its numerous fans left it alone. Very few come here to make any posts. I receive notifications like everyone else who subscribed in the thread.

On a personal level, I don't think that you can dictate to me what I can factually talk about, in this thread. Now, because I sense a certain tone in your posts, let me tell you that while I have no problem with debates, I turn into something else when threatened or accused of things that are not true. Take that as you may wish. I'm not a kid and while I'm passionate with what I do or talk about I defend my turf vigorously.

 

[gkjunior]

The only tone in these posts is yours. I’m not certain which "turf" you are referring to. If you consider this thread or forum your turf and in fact it is than I understand your comment. If not than I don’t understand.

Your comments stand as written as do mine. Time to call it a night. Tomorrow we rise for another battle.

 

[Acroplex]

I don't understand either but again the subject is not about you or me - it's about how people fail to understand that a TLD that isn't making them any money isn't worth pursuing. Some domainers want to hear beautiful songs even though the numbers tell different stories.

As I said, "junior" wasn't a demeaning reference; feel free to call me "plex" if that makes you feel better :D

---------- Post added at 01:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 AM ----------

---

Alright...humble pie time, courtesy of gkjunior.

He promised I'd eat it, I doubted him, and then the serving came in a PM.

I've been stepping on some people's toes in this thread and I realize that despite my views about .tel which I maintain still, my method of expressing it all has been rather arrogant. Apologies to all that I've upset.

I am still munching on the pie...

 

[mwzd]

Alright...humble pie time, courtesy of gkjunior.

He promised I'd eat it, I doubted him, and then the serving came in a PM.

I've been stepping on some people's toes in this thread and I realize that despite my views about .tel which I maintain still, my method of expressing it all has been rather arrogant. Apologies to all that I've upset.

I am still munching on the pie...

:o I wonder what bought that on?

Why don't you guys show me some 'monetized' and 'ranking' .tel - maybe I'll learn something.

Otherwise I'll stay firm in my (close minded?) opinion. :D

 

[Acroplex]

Samit - Nothing extraordinary. Very simply, gkjunior explained to me that while there are some blind fools in this TLD, there are some bright minds that are trying to make something out of it and for that alone they don't deserve my mocking. Then he told me we share some common background and at that point I realized that if I were nice just to him, due to the common background it'd be hypocritical. Therefore, I decided I can maintain my point of view and still be nice to everyone The humble pie method works.

 

[JB Lions]

I see them ranking, I mean just the first 2 I've seen:

mayfair guide - mayfair guide - Google Search

Free directory of Electrician Services - Free directory of Electrician Services - Google Search

Maybe use it kind of like a Yellow pages? Rank for directory, city + this or that, charge people to put their number on there.

Don't know, read a little here and there, don't have any myself but people are creative, gotta be a way to make some money from them.

 

[hakita]

I'd love to hear about the succe$$ you had with .tel and how effectively one can park, monetize and develop .tel domains. Wait. You can't.

Hello,
I am happy of using my hakita.tel
It perfectly fit my need.
Acroplex, so bad you do not understand that there is different kinds of needs, and .tel is not made to fit the same need that .com .

---------- Post added at 11:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

But let's be honest: why oh why would you support a TLD that won't let you put content on it the way EVERY OTHER TLD ON THE PLANET does?

.tel is not every other tld. It is deffirent.
The difference is maybe difficult for you to understand. I guess you can not imagine .tld not related to www, but in fact it can, and will more and more be.
Internet is not just www

 

[Kate]

Personally I find it amusing that there are still people waiting for .tel to take off somehow (as likely as the second coming of Jesus Christ).
*Any* other TLD will offer more possibilities and opportunities so why make your life miserable with a travesty of an extension.

Why are .tel fans so afraid of facts and figures? I'd like to hear some unbiased opinions - remove fanboi sticker first.

Well, they are stuck with their landrush gems until 2012 so they have yet to bear the throes of domain renewal - there is still hope after all ! :talk:

 

[Tia Wood]

Personally I find it amusing that there are still people waiting for .tel to take off somehow (as likely as the second coming of Jesus Christ).

:D

What are you going to say when Jesus comes and announces the key to the gates of heaven are contained on his .tel?

---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

Therefore, I decided I can maintain my point of view and still be nice to everyone

kudos :tu:

 

[Acroplex]

Hello,
I am happy of using my hakita.tel
It perfectly fit my need.
Acroplex, so bad you do not understand that there is different kinds of needs, and .tel is not made to fit the same need that .com

Then please tell me why .tel owners want to mimic other TLDs? They want to register every possible keyword, sell them for $$$$ and have been asking for ads. If it's meant to be for a different purpose but you actively try to use it as a TLD that cannot be developed or parked, why can't you take the same type of criticism ?

 

[DubDubDubDot]

Even assuming that dotTEL makes for a poor online directory that can't compete with traditional, full featured websites,

Naysayer! Get out! You are ruining the thread!

eventually business entities looking for the perfect 800, 866, 877, 888 or similar style phone number

The concept of dialing a domain name does not begin and end with .tel. The .com registry could add a phone number record at any time.

When a major cellular provider wakes up to the fact that it can gain a major competitive advantage by offering its customers the choice of either a standard ten digit telephone number or a custom alphanumeric dotTEL domain name of each customer's own choosing

Do you not see the many obstacles in the way of this? The biggest one being the telcom's trust in a tiny, private 3rd party company that is a recent startup. Do you really believe that they will entrust what would be a vital aspect of their business with such a company? Do you think they want this part of their service offering under the watch of ICANN, a body that is outside of the telcom industry? What about the compatibility issues? The questions just go on and on to the point where it becomes obvious that this definitely isn't going to become a reality anytime this decade, and that is a real problem from a domaining perspective.

 

[spline]

The concept of dialing a domain name does not begin and end with .tel. The .com registry could add a phone number record at any time.

Could, but do you think they will? .tel has been in work since 2000 and is a world standard for communication and contact information by ICANN. Created and tested in cooperation with Ericsson.
Ericssons network carry almost half of the worlds mobile traffic.

Ericsson - A world of communication - Ericsson

Do you not see the many obstacles in the way of this? The biggest one being the telcom's trust in a tiny, private 3rd party company that is a recent startup...

BT British telecom, one of the worlds largest telecom companies and the world’s oldest telecommunications company sells and market .tels

I think your doubts are valid. But also consider.

Domains names from BT Business

BT is also the Official Communications Services Partner and a Sustainability Partner for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

 

[Kate]

The convergence of phone numbers and domain names has begun a long time ago, it's called Enum, not .tel.
VOIP works with regular phone numbers too, including the existing ones.

If you think .tel is needed as a bridge between the regular telephone system and IP, you must have been living under a rock. If you have not been following advances in technology, VOIP has been making leaps and gained enormous market shares. All without .tel.
Don't take my word for it, ask VOIP specialists if they use .tel or even know about it. I'm sure you would love to learn about modern telephony anyway.

I'm saying it loud and clear: phone numbers are not going away. They will continue to exist along domain names and of course the two are going to be increasingly interwoven.

The idea that .tel is going to replace phone numbers is just a wild dream, sorry. That is, until every phone booth on the planet is equipped with alphanumeric keyboards... Let's not overlook the fact that digits represent the most universal alphabet in use worldwide.

So this has been the scenario put forward by .tel investors but it's clear that it's not happening and the extension is completely useless as a result. It's nothing more than a DNS-based data repository, but not a standard for anything.

 

[WordWalker]

The idea that .tel is going to replace phone numbers is just a wild dream, sorry. That is, until every phone booth on the planet is equipped with alphanumeric keyboards...

What is this "phone booth" concept to which you make reference? I do not understand. Has someone placed all smart phones in a special containment vessel and removed the alphanumeric keypads? I must find out more...

Was it Rufus who did this? Did the two young men not try to stop him?

This is an outrage!

 

[DubDubDubDot]

BT British telecom, one of the worlds largest telecom companies and the world’s oldest telecommunications company sells and market .tels

Yes, BT markets .tel as a point of contact.

Is BT willing to put the actual dialing of their customer's numbers in the hands of TelNic? Highly unlikely.

---------- Post added at 11:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 PM ----------

What is this "phone booth" concept to which you make reference? I do not understand.

I have brought this up in the past also, but it is among the many obstacles that .tel pumpers would rather not talk about.

If .tel is going to be a vital method of initiating contact, how can you not see the problem of .tel's incompatibility with the common land line phone?

 

[spline]

The convergence of phone numbers and domain names has begun a long time ago, it's called Enum, not .tel.
VOIP works with regular phone numbers too, including the existing ones.

If you think .tel is needed as a bridge between the regular telephone system and IP, you must have been living under a rock. If you have not been following advances in technology, VOIP has been making leaps and gained enormous market shares. All without .tel.
Don't take my word for it, ask VOIP specialists if they use .tel or even know about it. I'm sure you would love to learn about modern telephony anyway.

Here are some information on differences between ENUM and .tel

The .tel is the first TLD to harness NAPTR, TXT and LOC records within the DNS and thereby power a compelling solution for contact management that enables both individuals and businesses to store data directly within the DNS.

NAPTR records are a recent and more flexible DNS resource than the conventional Address records used thus far. The stability and robustness of NAPTR records have been proven in a protocol called ENUM, a mechanism for translating telephone numbers into domain names. However, unlike ENUM, the .tel is not encumbered by the regulatory environment found in the conventional telephony world. Additionally, unlike ENUM, .tel is not linked to a single phone number and is therefore portable.

(This is at the sametime a con, but atleat I´m willing to bet on some domain names that the pros of this will outweight the con. If it does I will not have lost my money, if not its not the end of the world)

...
These NAPTR records can also point to other NAPTR records, allowing for navigation through a tree of contact information based on geography, department or any other segmentation. They allow for unlimited updating of dynamically changing content and offer immediate global access to all newly updated information. They can be encrypted to protect confidential data and all data returned within the NAPTR records is clickable, enabling a click-to-communicate feature, which makes communication using the .tel as easy as possible for the users.

In addition to storing NAPTR records, the .tel uses Text records or TXT records stored directly within the DNS. These TXT records allow for the publication of text based information such as names, titles, mailing addresses, and keywords that will help users search for and find the right person or business they wish to contact. These keywords may be easily indexed and searched, enabling the creation of a DNS-based global white and yellowpages directory service. Lastly, the .tel uses Location records or LOC records to publish geo-location information. This allows businesses and individuals to indicate their precise location. The benefits of publishing live LOC records will increase as more advanced location-based services emerge over the coming year

I'm saying it loud and clear: phone numbers are not going away. They will continue to exist along domain names and of course the two are going to be increasingly interwoven.

The idea that .tel is going to replace phone numbers is just a wild dream, sorry. That is, until every phone booth on the planet is equipped with alphanumeric keyboards... Let's not overlook the fact that digits represent the most universal alphabet in use worldwide.

Yes there are problems with old phones, however atleast in sweden you will be pressed hard to find a phoneboth.

Does websites use numbers because its the most global common characters?
No.

Infact, numbers was what websites stepped away from using!

So if this would have been in the 80´s you would not have believed in domain names?

Do you remember the old phoneboths with a circular dialing on them?
Those where upgraded...

So are you telling me that the phoneboth manufacturers would not love to upgrade and sell a new kind of phoneboth? And that the last phoneboth will be what stops this technology :O

 

[mwzd]

Great post spline.

Thanks for the explaining the 'phone booth' concept and the relation between .TEL and ENUM.

.TEL could have a first mover advantage with NAPTR records, but I'm sure if the move was ever made to convert telephone numbers to domain names, the rest of the extensions would also jump on the bandwagon pretty soon. And then we need to consider timelines. If this happens after a decade or so, that could pretty much wipe out any investment benefits.