.tel me about it

I have been hearing mixed reviews from the domain industry regarding the new domain .tel. Some people think that it is just another gimmick, a vanity plate, or could it actually be useful??

Although in yet the preliminary stages with around 10,000 applications, .tel was conceived years ago in 2000. For those of you not quite yet familiar, .tel is a domain intended to provide an individual or business the ability to store, publish, and update online all of one's contact information without the need of a website.

Just think about it in terms of this example...I will use a personal .tel for Noel:

Domain name: Noel.tel

Page: Welcome to Noel.tel!

List of:
Phone number
Email address
Fax number
Website
Keywords
Location on Google maps
Noel's social media profiles on LinkedIn, MySpace, etc.

**All with interactive links, call, chat, etc.

What makes .tel unique is that instead of linking the domain name to an IP address of a website, it stores information directly to the DNS (domain name server). When .tel queries the DNS, the contact information and keywords that you have stored are returned. You can then click on any of the contact items and be immediately connected (via phone, fax, email, social media profile, SMS, etc.).

With all of these points of contact at one's fingertips, you might be wondering about privacy, but with .tel this is not an issue. With .tel, the owner of the domain name can allow for selective privacy. If you choose you may keep only your work phone number available with all other profile information, location, email, and phone numbers only for those that are your accepted friends or network. (This takes screening your calls to the next step!!)

Traditionally search engines are forced to read entire web pages, but those at .tel say that search engines use the data you supply for your .tel to tell search engines exactly what are the keywords in combination with the unique content on your domain; thus, you will see enhanced search results. Or will you?? I have my doubts. I don't think that I believe that a site with a history on the Internet, good domain name, solid architecture, properly labeled title and meta tags, and keywords would be beat by a .tel with just contact info and keywords. I think someone at .telnic needs to prove this to me. (I would love to see an example.)

However, something I see as a real bonus is its integration with mobile devices. As the rest of the world moves to mobile (as I know all of my friends already have), everyone is looking for speed. .tel is presented simply to integrate into address books and with quick nav on all mobile devices; thus, making it a fast and easy way to find someone or some business and connect.

Just as an FYI, Sunrise (preliminary registrations for trademarks) started in December of 2008. We are now in Landrush (premium prices for any name not claimed in Sunrise on first come first serve basis) . General availability starts on March 24th, 2009.

Could it be that we just getting "big heads" and want our name on the Internet with a .tel address? Right now I believe the price is around $375 (for a three-year period), but within a month the price reduces to $20 a pop.

My verdict? This sounds rather neat to me at the $20 price tag. I will not give up my other keyword heavy and personal domain names in other extensions, but you bet I will be in cyber-line on March 24th for my .tel!

Mardi Gras Domain Auction

As Mardi Gras, a traditional cultural event to overindulge, takes over New Orleans, it brings together the domainer community for the first ever Domainer Mardi Gras.

Yes, another reason to party and why not buy some domains while in a celebratory state...that is if you like Aftermarket's picks.

Like any auction, I am not surprised to see various adult related domains. It is Mardi Gras and XXX sells. As a doe-mainer, I am not offended. I would and will invest in XXX names. However, I must admit that some of the auction's names whether adult, Mardi Gras related, or generic are rather obscure. Are they really worth their asking price??

Here are some examples of the obscure:

Mahogany.com - $25,000 Really?

Credenzas.com - $13,500 I don't know. Maybe someone was looking to do some redecorating.

Decor.net - $1,500 Yes. The theme continues.

Others selected are very typical of the Mardi Gras themed event:

Voodoo.com - $300,000 Someone must have been under some voodoo magic to evaluate this at such a high six figure amount.

MardiGrasTube.com - $500 Yes, another tube related domain name

and the full catalog listed here

I have mixed feelings about the outcome of this auction. Although attendance may be high because of the entertainment factor (like last month's Playboy mansion event for DOMAINfest), I think the portfolio is not as strong as the New Orleans' draw.

What are your thoughts on the Domainer Mardi Gras complete catalog?

Niche top level domains….any chance for success!!

This week I have noticed much noise about .nyc such as New York City set to cash in on .nyc, press conferences, and other posts. Since the summer ruling by ICANN to expand the number of top level domains (tlds), we are seeing press and marketing daily about new specific top level domains such as .berlin, .paris, and .nyc. Is there a future for these tlds?

Well, if the success of .cat, a sponsored tld, intended to be used to highlight the Catalan culture and language, is an example of a growing trend; there is hope. For those of you not familiar, the region on Cataluña in Spain uses Catalan, as its primary language for communication, street signs, menus, and schooling. Most in Cataluña also learn Spanish (or Castilian) as a second language. Having this linguistic distinction creates an even larger cultural difference between those in Cataluña versus those in Spain and of course the world. It is with this distinct cultural pride and specific niche that .cat came to be and launched in 2005. In fact, as of January 2009, .cat has over 33,000 registrations.

.cat is bringing success to these niche top level domains. With over 7 million people, Cataluña shows that having a specific, niche domain that is targeted towards a large enough audience is wanted.

This is turn demonstrates a growing trend. We are all looking to sort through the clutter of the Internet and find something customized for our needs. It is clear with choices such as:

1) LinkedIn as the social media choice for professionals
2) www.job.travel if you’re looking for a job in the travel and hospitality field instead of the larger, non-industry specific entities Monster.com or CareerBulider.com
3) websites in one’s native language such as google.fr or google.de

It is with this need to segment information that I believe niche top level domains will succeed, but not all. The choice needs to be specific enough like in the case of .cat, that it is regionalized, distinct, own language or culture, and a large enough population of users and supporters.

So, do .nyc, .berlin, and .paris have the same niche? Perhaps……but you have to convince me. They are all large enough is size to support success, but what makes them different than just the country code of .fr or .de.

With all the hype of new tlds, I believe we will witness many that go through the application process and even launch, but only a few will survive and succeed. The proof of success is if the targeted community will want and support the new tlds. The future of the Internet will be very exciting with further structuring leading to channels or verticals of information that help guide the end user to a specific type of information.

It is no secret that we are already seeing many structured tlds such as .edu for the educational branch, .gov for governmental organizations, and .travel for the travel and tourism industry. All of these tlds have a large enough audience and necessity that they will continue to grow in popularity. Although .com is still the preferred method to promote one’s business and information on the net, I see that the movement is shifting to being specific, niche marketing.

Doe-mainer Comments on DOMAINfest’s Auctions

Silent Auction $481,000 vs. Live Auction $600,000 and the Trend of More Alternative Domains

It is no secret to those of you involved in the domainer world (not to exclude the growing doe-mainer population), that the silent/extended auction from DOMAINfest closed last Thursday with almost $481,000 in sales. This was a continuation of the events in L.A. hosted by Oversee.net, where the live auction sold over $600,000 worth of premium domain names.

As a recap, the highest sale in the live auction went to wife.com at $100,000 with lower figure names such as incrediblebargains.com for $500. However, as I pointed out in my previous post, the trend to see more and more alternative domains is apparent.

Take a peek at the Premium Live Alternative Domain Name Sales:

movie.info $7,000

europe.travel $5,000

contact.me $10,000

lenders.org $5,500

homevalues.net $7,500

england.mobi $5,500

Like the live auction, the trend continued in the silent auction with the highest bids for two .com domains: blooms.com and resorthotels.com at $58,830 each. However, I have outlined an assortment of the “uncommon” domain names as well:

blooms.com $58,830
resorthotels.com $58,830
salud.net $6,256
clothes.info $3,900
british.org $2,250
european.org $2,000
images.info $1,900
gardening.info $1,770
estate.mobi $690
interviewing.me $300
pediatric.de $300

Could it be that the trend that we are seeing with the economy and the highly inflated prices of .com names are driving savvy investors to look elsewhere? Interestingly enough, I am not the only person writing about the topic. I stumbled upon other writers that are commenting on the lack of .com names and their price. Check out a related article from Namecake.com

The majority of the selected silent and live auction names above don’t end in .com, but they still follow all the rules of what constitutes a great domain name: keywords that are popular on the Internet, short and sweet, easy to recall, and names that are associated with products or niche markets.

From the sales in both auctions, it is evident that .com is still top dog, but watch out for other domains that are nipping at .com’s heels. I have witnessed country codes such as .co.uk, .de, and others rise in the ranks as well as newer tlds that are specific such as .asia, .travel, and .info.

So the question is....are these alternative domain names unchartered waters to be explored? Are those taking the investment now the pioneers of a great investment opportunity? I believe so.

DOMAINfest Global 2009 Review From a New Doe-mainer

Having been involved in the domain, Internet, and technology scene for little over a year, I have been following other blogs, publications, and attending meetings all over the world. Although still a novice, it is now my turn to post.

I would have to give DOMAINfest two thumbs up. Hosted in Hollywood, California, DOMAINfest brought together over 600 domain and technology industry professionals for a perfect combination of educational seminars and once in a lifetime social functions to Universal Studios and the Playboy Mansion. Oversee.net, Moniker, and Snapnames did a great job of bringing “the stars” of our world together. Many thanks to all that made it possible!

To be honest, the week was a list of firsts for me starting with my first DOMAINfest and followed by my first glimpse of a domain auction on Tuesday night. Within moments of observation of the auction, I began to travel back to my past in the Midwest and remembered various State Fairs from my childhood. Believe it or not, the art of auctioning whether cattle or domain names is ironically similar. The technique, speed, paddles, and lingo are all the same, it just smelled much better in the elegant ballroom with all the amenities at DOMAINfest.

On a more serious note, I think the lower level auction on Tuesday night proved to be very successful. In speaking with various event leaders, roughly 60% of the domain names sold. It was a sign that perhaps the economic times were not going to stifle the investors at DOMAINfest Global 2009. Or would they?

On Wednesday, the official event was kicked off by the President of Oversee.net, Jeff Kupietzky. He mentioned the economic downturn and the need to collaborate for the next phase of our business, Domaining 2.0. Equally, he shared the opportunities that the attendees had this year in the live and extended auctions, including premium domain names from .me and for the first time ever .travel domain names.

Jeff’s speech was followed by a “must attend” fire-side chat with Steve Wozniak, “the Woz.” Explaining the beginning of Apple with their numerous pioneering obstacles, the talk was inspirational for the audience of many self-made entrepreneurs...all believing in .com when it was new and now with portfolios of hundreds to thousands of valuable domain names (Internet real estate).

For Thursday, the final day of the event, all eyes were on their watches for the start of the live auction. At 1:30PM, all attendees either entered the ballroom or retired to their laptops to bid by the pool or in their rooms for bidding away from the competition. With the list of domain names peppered with many foreclosure, rental, and economic related domain names, there was also a portfolio of 2nd tier .me names available as well as five premium .travel names: europe.travel, free.travel, fly.travel, information.travel, and city.travel.

The verdict was that the showroom floor was slow. It was quieter than the previous low-level auction on Tuesday; thus, demonstrating that times are tough. At the end of the day, the live auction sold about $600,000 which is dramatically less than previous years of over $1-2 million.

In analysis, I think this year’s live auction and extended auction presented and continue to present real opportunities for investment. However, with domainers so focused on the traditional portfolios of .com, it is NOW time to enter into an investment opportunity with other alternative domain names such as the great 2nd tier .me names, various .mobi, and premium .travel names. Many of us not in the .com world at the beginning wish we could have our gotten our dream domains ten years ago, but now like then it is the time to start in areas of investment where you get in early and take advantage of great names.

In the extended auction, I believe that we will see higher dollar figures and more aggressive bidding on some of the alternative domains. It is time to expand your portfolio and not put all of your eggs in the .com basket. Get in early with alternative domains and reap the benefits!