Does This Make Any Sense ?

[nombre]

you guys know a lot more about mobi technical requirements than i do

it appears that at best mobi is in a slump and at worst, who knows ?

there are still several scenarios where i can see mobi roaring back and getting big

let me ask this technical question: i see a chance where mobi could be used as a dual purpose tld: 1) for hand-held smartphones where a one-column simple layout was used (like the design guidelines mobi has now) and 2) where it could switch to a larger device for something like the ipad ...
i can see mobi being the ideal domain for companies that want to primarily serve the smartphone/tablet/netbook market .....

in other words companies oriented toward mobile users on mobile devices ..... of all kinds....

since device detection is a critical aspect of this...would it be possible for all requests for a dot mobi address to be "bounced off" a server (obviously this would be a series of servers all over the world) that maintain minute by minute scripts updated to ensure that the device was detected properly and then routed to an optimized page ....?

i'm thinking 320x480 for iphone 480x800 for android and then 1024x768 for ipad ...for example....

i _think_ it would be possible for mobi developers to routinely design 2 sites ... a small site and a large site ....exactly what mobility.mobi does now but implemented worldwide on servers so the developer doesn't have to worry about maintaining device detection and optimization

does this make any sense ?.......i'm probably missing something here

i really see an opportunity for mobi to redefine it's purpose to larger mobile devices

[nrmillions]

This can be done with any extension. .mobi is just a brand

[nombre]

This can be done with any extension. .mobi is just a brand of course, this is precisely my point, it is a brand that means "mobile" but mobi tld by definition of their design guidelines means "cellphone", i.e. single column simple design that works well on cellphones ...great ...excellent ...

i am saying that maybe they should broaden the meaning of the brand to include devices like the ipad and future pads/slates etc ...

this could be done be tweaking the design guidelines and using device detection ....

this way ... web developers that want to go for the iphone and ipad can design an app or use a dot mobi and serve apple iphone/touch, android, blackberry etc all from a single domain without needing to develop a bunch of apps for each platform....

to me, the best real hope for mobi is that developers realize how difficult it will be to create a new app for each major mobile platform

[coast]

mTLD is letting their customers interpret mobile however works for them. They have device detection scripts and a mobile wordpress plugin to enable people to have more than one version of the site for desktops and mobile devices. Is that what you meant?

[nombre]

coast
sort of
i know that you can use device detection scripts which is what mobility.mobi uses since we are mostly using the large "normal" site yet it is a mobi extension

mobi has certain design guidelines to encourage people to use simple clean fast loading pages, you check this by scoring your mobi readiness, right ?

but if you wanted to develop for the ipad or hpslate or any of the flood of tablet pc's we will see very soon, you can't use a dot mobi name because it wouldn't pass readiness but it's still a mobile site which means page load times _and_ screen sizes matter in a way that they don't on large screens which incidentally are getting larger and larger, we will soon see 30" screens as common......whereas mobile devices will _always_ have an upper limit on size and weight

if mobi tld were to change the mobi readiness guidelines to include tablets like the ipad them the mobi domain would be more valuable

you could use a dot mobi on:
an iphone/touch
blackberry
android
ipad tablet
hpslate
dell mini netbook

google could then index sites made for ipad or other slates as a mobi

i'm trying to figure how to make dot mobi more useful and more valuable by extending it to other platforms ...rather than just cellphones

[gogo]

but if you wanted to develop for the ipad or hpslate or any of the flood of tablet pc's we will see very soon, you can't use a dot mobi name because it wouldn't pass readinesss

Why do you think that?

[nombre]

well, you can't use tables, can't use horizontal scrolling, can't use pop ups, access keys, page size, i mean, the design guidelines are for mobile phones not full size sites, i'm using http://mobiforge.com/files/dotmobi_Switch_On_Web_Developer_Guide.html

also, and just as important, if someone searches from an ipad, your site won't show up ( i just searched for lodging on google and scandimans lodging.mobi isn't in the top results, it should be, but it isn't)

[gogo]

well, you can't use tables, can't use horizontal scrolling, can't use pop ups, access keys, page size, i mean, the design guidelines are for mobile phones not full size sites, i'm using http://mobiforge.com/files/dotmobi_Switch_On_Web_Developer_Guide.html


OK I think you are saying that less people will use .mobi because of those requirements?

Well guess what, Dotmobi abandoned those requirements, they just told no one, so your question is entirely natural but you shouldn't have to ask it - Dotmobi are wasting your time and everyone else's while enjoying all the drawbacks and none of the benefits of their abandoned trustmark - see this about the worst possible case scenario they have created:
http://mobility.mobi/showpost.php?p=134860&postcount=18

[nombre]

thanks a lot for that, it clarifies things

so you can use any design on a mobi

but doesn't that still leave the problem that you will only be indexed as a mobile site and you won't show up ins search results unless people are searching through a mobile portal

in on other words, you can buy a good mobi name for a _ton_ less than other tld's and develop it just like any other site but you won't end up in search results ?

i just don't get it, i just think mobi is going down, the tld group just blows......

unless some kind of steps are taken to make mobi tld more relevant or useful, i think it's toast, i'm sorry to say

it's frustrating because it seems like there are _so many ways_ to make it useful and profitable

the emerging market for tablets (i read a lot about the ipad yesterday, it's not a home run like the phone but i don't have any doubt it will succeed and be in many homes) seems to me to be chance for mobi to reinvent itself and broaden its original mission:dontknow:

[Andres Kello]

i just don't get it, i just think mobi is going down, the tld group just blows......

unless some kind of steps are taken to make mobi tld more relevant or useful, i think it's toast, i'm sorry to say

it's frustrating because it seems like there are _so many ways_ to make it useful and profitableTrust me, you are not alone. Many (not all) of .mobi's most loyal, fervent, and long-time supporters feel the exact same way. I think that speaks volumes.

[nombre]

thanks andres ....

:dontknow: :mad2:

[youmo]

Trust me, you are not alone. Many (not all) of .mobi's most loyal, fervent, and long-time supporters feel the exact same way. I think that speaks volumes.

Yes definitely not all. I think its still early days?
Plenty of amazing opportunities out there.

[DomainTalker]

Well guess what, Dotmobi abandoned those requirements...

Not for their 'Premium' names, they didn't...!!


So....we have the absurd situation where the domains Dotmobi, themselves, deem to be the VERY best domains....and the ones they want to be showcase sites....are still subject to the limitations (and rapidly increasing irrelevance) of the Ready.mobi straight-jacket...


That is NOT smart (again!)....:rolleyes2:

.

[Andres Kello]

Not for their 'Premium' names, they didn't...!!


So....we have the absurd situation where the domains Dotmobi, themselves, deem to be the VERY best domains....and the ones they want to be showcase sites....are still subject to the limitations (and rapidly increasing irrelevance) of the Ready.mobi straight-jacket...


That is NOT smart (again!)....:rolleyes2:

.This isn't really an issue IMO because you can easily develop a full-blown iPhone-optimized site with Javascript, for example, that still scores a 5/5 by simply using auto-detect and displaying different versions based on the phone that's visiting the site. For instance, if the phone is detected as an iPhone, you display the Javascript code, if not, then you don't. The Ready tool won't see the Javascript and will give you a 5/5 assuming the rest is clean. This is a simplified example, of course, but it exemplifies the beauty of the Trustmark concept, which was never limiting, while always guaranteeing a lowest-common-denominator site that would work on all mobiles.

There are a lot of issues with the Premium and Reserved domains, but I don't think this is one of them.

[youmo]

Not for their 'Premium' names, they didn't...!!


So....we have the absurd situation where the domains Dotmobi, themselves, deem to be the VERY best domains....and the ones they want to be showcase sites....are still subject to the limitations (and rapidly increasing irrelevance) of the Ready.mobi straight-jacket...

That is NOT smart (again!)....:rolleyes2:

.

I believe the primary requirement for the premium names is development.

[Scandiman]

I believe the primary requirement for the premium names is development.

The premium name contract is extensive, including requirements for the site to meet a certain ready.mobi score. But this is easily dealt with in the way Andres described to incorporate high-end features for those phones able to handle it. But also this ease to get around the rules is one of the inherent weaknesses of the rules as well since they do such a poor job of assuring a mobile friendly experience. It's all been hashed and rehashed before.

[acc]

thanks a lot for that, it clarifies things

so you can use any design on a mobi

but doesn't that still leave the problem that you will only be indexed as a mobile site and you won't show up ins search results unless people are searching through a mobile portal

in on other words, you can buy a good mobi name for a _ton_ less than other tld's and develop it just like any other site but you won't end up in search results ?

i just don't get it, i just think mobi is going down, the tld group just blows......

unless some kind of steps are taken to make mobi tld more relevant or useful, i think it's toast, i'm sorry to say

it's frustrating because it seems like there are _so many ways_ to make it useful and profitable

the emerging market for tablets (i read a lot about the ipad yesterday, it's not a home run like the phone but i don't have any doubt it will succeed and be in many homes) seems to me to be chance for mobi to reinvent itself and broaden its original mission:dontknow:

Whoa, whoa .... no need to get carried away.

Dot mobi websites CAN get indexed and rank in the main search engines just like any other extension.

As an example, do a Google search from your desktop computer for the 1-word term - mobility. For me it comes up on page 1 # position # 7 of the search results. Out of 55 million pages containing the term "mobility". Results 1 - 10 of about 55,700,000 for mobility. Congrats mobility.mobi forum. Mobis CAN rank in the top search results if the content warrants it. Dot mobi sites are not limited to mobile search results.

All this back and forth rehashing about compliance standards or ready.mobi numbers overlooks the bottom line fallback position for those holding .mobi names or considering getting involved with them. If you have usable, real-world keyword term names - you can build sites on them or resell them later for their inherent keyword value.

It is still early in the mobile web cycle. One can either spend a lot of time buying into the negativity, get caught up others' frustrations, or jump onto the glass-half-empty bandwagon ... or ... you can start to develop out your mobis and add content, then add more content and soon overshadow all those perpetually parked-page com/net/org/info/biz/etc names. It seems most all of the domainer-controlled com/net/etc names are parked names and will likely remain so for a long time to come. Most domainers will sit on PPC income or hope to sell those names eventually. In the meantime anyone building a good website on the same keyword in a different extension (including .mobi) can get indexed, rank, and enjoy a successful site.

There are device detection systems, mobile plugins for Wordpress, mobile templates based on several screen sizes, and there is always is the manual selection alternative. In addition to avoiding using frames and popups, the one early requirement for mobi sites was to make the home page easily accessible for mobiles. And after the home page the site can have anything on it - that's my take on it. Just let your visitors know what will happen on the other pages.

I think too much time is spent fretting what to do about the smallest screens - they are not worth addressing or worrying about IMHO. Look at one of the earliest large corporate sites - bmw.mobi - it has images 352 pix wide on their mobi site. They sell to the higher end of the market who likely have a decent smartphone. So it doesn't make sense for BMW to limit their mobi presentation to 128 or 176 wide screens. I'd suggest forgetting the real low end and start with 240 pix as a minimum,. The iPhone is 320 wide and that is a nice size to work with. It also looks good on a desktop.

One underappreciated benefit of .mobi names right now as you correctly pointed out is that many great term keyword names are available at low prices or even hand-registerable at this point in time. You'd never get or be able to afford many of those same terms in com and other common extensions.

I read an article today that pointed out the obvious but still a very valid argument. And its main premise supports the inherent value of good keyword .mobi names. It's a given now that the world IS going mobile. It is even more important for mobile than for the desktop world to have easy-to-remember website names. The shorter the better and the more appropriate to the subject the better.

"Graham Jones, an internet specialist who advises businesses on how to connect with consumers, believes the key is to have a URL that people can easily remember and pass on to others."

“If a page is quite important for your business, then nothing really beats having a specific domain name that is easy for people to remember, that can then be linked to your company’s other sites as necessary.”

http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/news/internet-business/5755068/poor-url-choice-is-turning-your-customers-away.thtml

Best of luck.

[dakna]

I agree, especially regarding the value of developed sites ...





There are device detection systems, mobile plugins for Wordpress, mobile templates based on several screen sizes, and there is always is the manual selection alternative. In addition to avoiding using frames and popups, the one early requirement for mobi sites was to make the home page easily accessible for mobiles. And after the home page the site can have anything on it - that's my take on it. Just let your visitors know what will happen on the other pages.



Don't do that only for the home page, you have to treat every page as a possible landing page because it is much more common now to give deep links to your content.



I think too much time is spent fretting what to do about the smallest screens - they are not worth addressing or worrying about IMHO. Look at one of the earliest large corporate sites - bmw.mobi - it has images 352 pix wide on their mobi site. They sell to the higher end of the market who likely have a decent smartphone. So it doesn't make sense for BMW to limit their mobi presentation to 128 or 176 wide screens. I'd suggest forgetting the real low end and start with 240 pix as a minimum,. The iPhone is 320 wide and that is a nice size to work with. It also looks good on a desktop.

One underappreciated benefit of .mobi names right now as you correctly pointed out is that many great term keyword names are available at low prices or even hand-registerable at this point in time. You'd never get or be able to afford many of those same terms in com and other common extensions.

I read an article today that pointed out the obvious but still a very valid argument. And its main premise supports the inherent value of good keyword .mobi names. It's a given now that the world IS going mobile. It is even more important for mobile than for the desktop world to have easy-to-remember website names. The shorter the better and the more appropriate to the subject the better.

"Graham Jones, an internet specialist who advises businesses on how to connect with consumers, believes the key is to have a URL that people can easily remember and pass on to others."
...

Todays traffic routes are coming more and more from other web applications, be it social networks or installed apps. So no need to type in a URL anymore and this is especially convenient from a mobile handset. A short, easy-to-remember domain name is "only" good for branding and people awareness, credibility and of course keyword based SEO. These are still important factors, but type-in traffic is less common in a mobile world.

Greets

[DomainTalker]

Andres, acc, dakna....Very good points.

.

[Scandiman]

I read an article today that pointed out the obvious but still a very valid argument. And its main premise supports the inherent value of good keyword .mobi names. It's a given now that the world IS going mobile. It is even more important for mobile than for the desktop world to have easy-to-remember website names. The shorter the better and the more appropriate to the subject the better.

"Graham Jones, an internet specialist who advises businesses on how to connect with consumers, believes the key is to have a URL that people can easily remember and pass on to others."

“If a page is quite important for your business, then nothing really beats having a specific domain name that is easy for people to remember, that can then be linked to your company’s other sites as necessary.”

http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/news/internet-business/5755068/poor-url-choice-is-turning-your-customers-away.thtml



I'd be curious to know if the author is including the part of a URL to the right of the dot in his evaluations.

While I personally believe .mobi is worth building upon (especially strong keywords) the fact remains that at present the awareness level of .mobi is low and can lead the uninitiated end-user to conclude that .mobi is not so easy for consumers to remember since "mobi" itself is not a keyword. I think this will change, but at present it is sort of a catch 22 for newcomers with two brandable otions, go with "strong keyword"."brandable" or "brandable"."well known TLD". Plus add in the fact that a lot of business people loathe domain investors in general which often leads people to go with the latter option regardless of the merits of the former, or even "strong keyword"."well known TLD" for that matter.

[nrmillions]

All of these arguments are a waste of time lol. .mobi is a brand just like .com is a brand and .net is a brand and .tv and .org and so on. .org is not technologically superior than .com for non profits, its just branded that way. you can use any extension for anything you want, whether it is a mobile site or computer site or both with auto detection or a video site. you can be indexed in regular search engines or mobile search engines with any extension. just because you develop on a .mobi doesnt mean you wont be successful. you dont need awareness of an extension to make a huge profitable site. just like i always say look at Last.fm, its worth hundreds of millions and nobody knows what .fm is, people just know it as the brand. Look at the startup Outside.in and Bit.ly and hundreds of other venture backed startups using random extensions. Venture capital firms dont care what extension your startup uses. Millions of people use bit.ly as their url shortener every single day on twitter but they have no clue what the .ly extension is and they dont care. bit.ly is worth millions regardless of how the .ly extension does. i could care less how many people have heard of .mobi the extension and i could care less how mtld does. i just need my domains to develop using .mobi as the brand.

[gogo]

All this back and forth rehashing about compliance standards or ready.mobi numbers overlooks the bottom line fallback position for those holding .mobi names or considering getting involved with them. If you have usable, real-world keyword term names - you can build sites on them or resell them later for their inherent keyword value.

...

One underappreciated benefit of .mobi names right now as you correctly pointed out is that many great term keyword names are available at low prices or even hand-registerable at this point in time. You'd never get or be able to afford many of those same terms in com and other common extensions.

.

Yes, well said.

It is no consolation to those who bought big names at the top of the market, but mobi at present offers really cheap keywords. Some keywords would have worth in any extension and will probably always be worth having. That is the fallback position, or lowest common denominator.

If mobi had succeeded in being THE extension for mobile it would have added value for that, and maybe also value for the typeins that would generate. That might have created demand for mobi domains, and more and higher priced aftermarket sales and registration numbers, and more real-world usage.

That did not happen and imo it is too late for that. But .mobi could still be a modest success like biz or info - that depends on people building on it. That is the middle ground scenario, which imo could still happen - we are now in a sort of grey area, a transitional zone, a purgatory where limited success and serious failure are the only available exit points.

The failure scenario is this: big names stop using mobi at all, end users stay away because of the (misunderstood, missing or mis-presented) compliance requirements or the hate-factor of the name, or because of the implied suggestion to users that it only delivers mobile content; and then domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall, starting (continuing?) a downward spiral of usage, reputation and value.

[Andres Kello]

The failure scenario is this: big names stop using mobi at all, end users stay away because of the (misunderstood, missing or mis-presented) compliance requirements or the hate-factor of the name, or because of the implied suggestion to users that it only delivers mobile content; and then domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall, starting (continuing?) a downward spiral of usage, reputation and value.IMO, this is happening right now.


big names stop using mobi at all - CHECK
end users stay away - CHECK
domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall - CHECK


The most frustrating part about all of this from my point of view is that I formally warned mTLD about this when I did my PAB presentation last May while all this was already starting to happen, and they seem to have shrugged it off and done nothing about it and it has only gotten worse as a result.

That indifference to the reality on the ground is shocking.


starting (continuing?) a downward spiral of usage, reputation and valueAlready happening IMO.


The only silver lining here, folks, is that there really is serious value in mobile development, so if you already have the domains, you might as well mitigate your domain risk by building a site on it. That's what I'm doing, at least, as I'm not going to hold my breath for .mobi domain values to increase.

[coast]

IMO, this is happening right now.


big names stop using mobi at all - CHECK
end users stay away - CHECK
domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall - CHECK

Hate to disagree with you Andres, but in my experience, this is partly right, partly not.

1. big names stop using mobi - not really, no. Some corporations are still using .mobi, like Scandiman's reference to Bank of America, and also Fox News in the U.S. It's just that most are using it to promote to existing customers, not to attract new ones.

2. End users stay away - not really, no. I get plenty of people on my blog (not from .com but from .mobi) who are looking for content of developed sites, over 1,000 per month from search engines

3. domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall - CHECK - yes, I agree with this one, but it's also true that people are still trading up for better names



The only silver lining here, folks, is that there really is serious value in mobile development, so if you already have the domains, you might as well mitigate your domain risk by building a site on it. That's what I'm doing, at least, as I'm not going to hold my breath for .mobi domain values to increase.

I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment.

[gogo]

Hate to disagree with you Andres, but in my experience, this is partly right, partly not.

1. big names stop using mobi - not really, no. Some corporations are still using .mobi, like Scandiman's reference to Bank of America, and also Fox News in the U.S. It's just that most are using it to promote to existing customers, not to attract new ones.

2. End users stay away - not really, no. I get plenty of people on my blog (not from .com but from .mobi) who are looking for content of developed sites, over 1,000 per month from search engines

3. domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall - CHECK - yes, I agree with this one, but it's also true that people are still trading up for better names



Interesting. I don't really know what is going on - I will keep an open mind, but not an open wallet - at some point you hit the stop-loss level and drop most .mobi. On here we are mostly discussing -speculating about - anecdotal evidence - absolute registration numbers and known sale price averages for a very small number of names seem to be the only hard data. But MTLD/Dotmobi could (and did with find.mobi) publish .mobi trend data. They could for example about Instant Mobilizer, and they do not, so I can only assume the data they collect would, if published, not make them look good or support their objectives (whatever those are...:hmmmm2:) So they may be staring silently into the abyss of worsening stats.

[Scandiman]

The most frustrating part about all of this from my point of view is that I formally warned mTLD about this when I did my PAB presentation last May while all this was already starting to happen, and they seem to have shrugged it off and done nothing about it and it has only gotten worse as a result.

That indifference to the reality on the ground is shocking.

The only silver lining here, folks, is that there really is serious value in mobile development, so if you already have the domains, you might as well mitigate your domain risk by building a site on it. That's what I'm doing, at least, as I'm not going to hold my breath for .mobi domain values to increase.

I understand your frustrations Andres, and I'm glad you still recognize the best part... the most important part.. the value of development.

In spite of the frustrations we may have with mTLD from our varied perspectives as .mobi enthusiasts, it's really all about quality content development, always has been. I know most pure domain speculators don't like to hear that but it's reality.

[Andres Kello]

Hate to disagree with you Andres, but in my experience, this is partly right, partly not. Always feel free to disagree, but the facts and reality on the ground can no longer be ignored. I'll share my view with a bit more substance:




1. big names stop using mobi - not really, no. Some corporations are still using .mobi, like Scandiman's reference to Bank of America, and also Fox News in the U.S. It's just that most are using it to promote to existing customers, not to attract new ones.
It is undeniable IMO that big names have stopped using .mobi. For example, we had the recent case (http://mobility.mobi/showthread.php?p=143519#post143519) of NGC.mobi which stopped promoting their .mobi in favor of their .com. But there are more. Many more. UFC.mobi is dead. Ferrari.mobi was shut down in 2008 never to return. Coca-Cola.mobi was a temporary campaign that's no longer active. GreenPeace.mobi is no longer a mobile site. AlJazeera.mobi no longer resolves. WNBA.mobi...gone. ChinaMobile.mobi..."not found". Purina.mobi...D.O.A. Then you have examples like Iberia that used to promote Iberia.mobi in their in-flight magazines and stopped doing so at least 3 months ago. I could keep going, but I think you get the point. I think people need to remember (http://mobility.mobi/showthread.php?t=8116) how excited we all were when the above .mobi's were launched and discovered in order to fully appreciate how serious it is that so many big names have stopped using them.


2. End users stay away - not really, no. I get plenty of people on my blog (not from .com but from .mobi) who are looking for content of developed sites, over 1,000 per month from search engines Looking for content is not the same thing as embracing .mobi for a mobile site. At one point I owned over 1,500 .mobi's (for a year). I received interest in perhaps 1 or 2 from end-users in that year. As a test, I then pro-actively sought out end-users for some highly-relevant generic .mobi's and I either received no replies after multiple follow-ups, they were not interested even before hearing the price, or - in the few cases were they showed "some" interest - were not willing to pay anything higher than $xx. Either I'm a terrible salesman or the product I'm selling just doesn't have any demand or interest. Then, of course, there are the cases where .mobi donations were rejected outright, and there's no bigger indicator than that IMO. No one rejects a free lunch, especially since they're not supposed to exist.



3. domainers lose patience and stop renewing and registration numbers fall - CHECK - yes, I agree with this one, but it's also true that people are still trading up for better namesRegardless of whether some domainers are trading up, the reality is that many have lost patience and many have stopped renewing a significant percentage of their portfolio's (beyond the typical annual trimming) as evidenced by the mostly-downward trend in registration numbers that's been happening for a while now, not to mention the change in moods right here on this "pro-.mobi" forum. That's no surprise, when there's little-to-no demand, prices are at the bottom of the market, and there is no clear (or even obscure!) strategy from mTLD on how they're going to turn things around, it makes little sense to keep throwing good money after bad in the hopes that someday, somehow, things will "magically" change by themselves. The market has spoken and there is absolutely nothing to indicate today that it is going to change its mind, making .mobi an increasingly difficult extension for domainers to justify.

Like I said before, the 3 things gogo mentioned are already happening. .mobi might still be viable as a developer's extension due to the cheap keywords (any 2nd rate extension is for that matter), but it's all but dead as a domainer's extension, and nothing is going to change that unless mTLD pull their heads out of their butts and a rabbit out of a hat. The only thing we can do is to continue to develop and to continue to give mTLD the kick in the ass they desperately need to do something - anything - to turn the tide. I'm doing both.

[Tom]

I'm essentially done with .mobi. I follow the $$$$ and there isn't much to be made in .mobi except in rare cases when someone gets a lucky low $xxxx sale. There are many other better investment opportunities out there imho.... hell, collecting stamps would probably be more profitable. I've made a decent amount on .mobi overall, but it's been a downward spiral since 2007 and imho no longer even really worth it.

I'm ambivalent about developing on a .mobi too at this point.... why would I want to market a .mobi when no one knows what it is?

[hawkeye]

Always feel free to disagree, but the facts and reality on the ground can no longer be ignored. I'll share my view with a bit more substance:

It is undeniable IMO that big names have stopped using .mobi. For example, we had the recent case (http://mobility.mobi/showthread.php?p=143519#post143519) of NGC.mobi which stopped promoting their .mobi in favor of their .com. But there are more. Many more. UFC.mobi is dead. Ferrari.mobi was shut down in 2008 never to return. Coca-Cola.mobi was a temporary campaign that's no longer active. GreenPeace.mobi is no longer a mobile site. AlJazeera.mobi no longer resolves. WNBA.mobi...gone. ChinaMobile.mobi..."not found". Purina.mobi...D.O.A. Then you have examples like Iberia that used to promote Iberia.mobi in their in-flight magazines and stopped doing so at least 3 months ago. I could keep going, but I think you get the point. I think people need to remember (http://mobility.mobi/showthread.php?t=8116) how excited we all were when the above .mobi's were launched and discovered in order to fully appreciate how serious it is that so many big names have stopped using them.

Looking for content is not the same thing as embracing .mobi for a mobile site. At one point I owned over 1,500 .mobi's (for a year). I received interest in perhaps 1 or 2 from end-users in that year. As a test, I then pro-actively sought out end-users for some highly-relevant generic .mobi's and I either received no replies after multiple follow-ups, they were not interested even before hearing the price, or - in the few cases were they showed "some" interest - were not willing to pay anything higher than $xx. Either I'm a terrible salesman or the product I'm selling just doesn't have any demand or interest. Then, of course, there are the cases where .mobi donations were rejected outright, and there's no bigger indicator than that IMO. No one rejects a free lunch, especially since they're not supposed to exist.


Regardless of whether some domainers are trading up, the reality is that many have lost patience and many have stopped renewing a significant percentage of their portfolio's (beyond the typical annual trimming) as evidenced by the mostly-downward trend in registration numbers that's been happening for a while now, not to mention the change in moods right here on this "pro-.mobi" forum. That's no surprise, when there's little-to-no demand, prices are at the bottom of the market, and there is no clear (or even obscure!) strategy from mTLD on how they're going to turn things around, it makes little sense to keep throwing good money after bad in the hopes that someday, somehow, things will "magically" change by themselves. The market has spoken and there is absolutely nothing to indicate today that it is going to change its mind, making .mobi an increasingly difficult extension for domainers to justify.

Like I said before, the 3 things gogo mentioned are already happening. .mobi might still be viable as a developer's extension due to the cheap keywords (any 2nd rate extension is for that matter), but it's all but dead as a domainer's extension, and nothing is going to change that unless mTLD pull their heads out of their butts and a rabbit out of a hat. The only thing we can do is to continue to develop and to continue to give mTLD the kick in the ass they desperately need to do something - anything - to turn the tide. I'm doing both.

Unfortunately, a 'very' good summation of .mobi reality today. (Andres, you're always crisp. http://mobility.mobi/images/icons/icon14.gif)



There are many other better investment opportunities out there imho.... hell, collecting stamps would probably be more profitable.
:laugh: LOL. Tom.

[newdomainer]

Autotrader.mobi still alive and kicking; market leader in UK

[DomainTalker]

The most frustrating part about all of this from my point of view is that I formally warned mTLD about this when I did my PAB presentation last May while all this was already starting to happen, and they seem to have shrugged it off and done nothing about it and it has only gotten worse as a result.

That indifference to the reality on the ground is shocking.

It just required a reading of multiple posts by Mobility members, from mid 2008 onwards (including the feedback from us after the Webinars) for mTLD to pick up what was really happening with .mobi - and, what to do about it.....It was all there.


As you say, the neglect is the most shocking thing.

.