Comments on: Interview with Kashayar Mahdavi – CEO of Telnic Limited, the people behind .TEL

By: teldomains

teldomains — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:08:31 +0000

The following post explains why .tel domains are unlike any other extension. It’s not the lack of hosting, the speed at which data can be updated, etc., it’s that all contact data stored on .tel addresses is structured according to universal rules. Thus, it can easily be read by mobile devices. Therefore, instead of dialing a phone number, you could just dial a .tel address. Instead of emailing an email address, you could just email a .tel address. The post:

http://domainsynergies.blogspot.com/2009/04/are-tel-addresses-new-vanity-phone.html

By: GFY

GFY — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:15:52 +0000

Lucille you sound like a fool or a shill, not sure which one but the line (like me) you converted your 401 k to cash that was not the genius move, being in short etf’s was the move to brag about so that you were making money rather than earning 0 in the bank.

By: TelDiscussionForum

TelDiscussionForum — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:39:16 +0000

^ Cliff.

Nail.

Head.

Spot on, you got it.

Nailed it in a nutshell.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:18:34 +0000

Cliffk……….Thank you, thank you, thank you!

By: cliffk

cliffk — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:14:36 +0000

As a business owner and one who has spent thousands of dollars on phonebook ads over the years, I feel the importance of .TEL is the potential consistency in marketing and advertising for a business. Phonebook search has lost 25% of look-ups in the last five years. Most of this business search has been replaced by search engine results but a company is dependent upon the search engine bots to crawl your web text to decide what your business is about. Insert your own keywords with .TEL and “tell” google what your business is about. A website to maintain, SEO to pay for, update content to attract readers as “potential” customers, all for most small business that has very little connection to the internet other than an online brochure. Small business just needs a simple, replacement for those lost phonebook searchers. Ever had to count on phonebooks to publish your information correctly. If it didn’t publish right, well there is always next year I guess. Unless there was a way to manage your own published information. Need a new number to test an advertising campaign? Need a vanity phone number to have a memorable way to contact you from advertising? Maybe not any more. Or better yet, match a vanity phone number and .TEL domain to deliver consistency to your customers. Phonebooks, internet searches, websites, now virtual-mobile directories. A business has to find what their customers use and be the best in that form of market contact.

It would seem the .TEL as a virtual directory by geography or type of commerce is the forefront of the new search engine results…mobile search. It may be the break thorough mobile internet needs. The current mobile internet is useless. Why get left behind for $300? That is the minimum cost of one phonebook ad per month. There are at least twelve phonebooks in my little business area (one Neilson market.) Compare the cost of the .TEL domain to a billboard, newspaper ad, or pay-per-click campaign. Try “buying” the keyword that attracts internet searchers to your website? A simple, consistent way for customers to contact your small business (or more correctly remember how to contact you.) That is a requirement for all those other forms of advertising. Now your brand can be the means of contacting you. Maybe the nay-sayers here are web developers of some sort that don’t want to encourage the potential independence a .TEL listing could provide for small business. Compare “towing” listed for your area on the internet to those in your local phone book and you can see the potential for .TEL. I get it.

By: taboo

taboo — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:31:45 +0000

.TEL Is the STUPIDEST extension ever, and will never succeed. Stop making new extentions to exploit business owners to protecting their trademarks. Your ideas suck, and the only good new extension would be .SUCK

rick latona is a sell-out.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:36:51 +0000

No offense?????????????

By: V.St.Albans

V.St.Albans — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:42:23 +0000

How long do you think you will have to sit back and watch what happens. No offense but I sense that you are not a business owner, not a techie, not very sophisticated or knowledgeable about this as shown by your over zealous exclamation that you LOVE .TEL , even though it is not even up and running. Looks as if you are speculating and not thinking about the nitty gritty details. Hope you get whatever millions it is you think that palmsprings will pay for a .tel.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:09:34 +0000

Okay, we’ll just sit back and watch what happens.

By: V St.Albans

V St.Albans — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:57:48 +0000

Maybe PalmSprings will get some of the bailout money to purchase your .tel. I don’t think the taxpayers are too keen on spending thousands of dollars for a .tel but good luck. And by the way, I would have an easier time of it with my bank, the UPS, the county garbage pickup and so on by going online and doing a few clicks instead of waiting through endless menus. So if I go to PalmSprings.tel, how long does it take me to get what I am looking for? Will it immediately go to golf courses, or will it read my mind and know what it is I am looking for in PalmSprings? Much more fun to go on line and look around. And like ‘calling my bank’ or finding out the UPS hours, I would rather just look on line. I can use my laptop as easily as a cell phone and get more information. Good luck.

By: Chris R

Chris R — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:40:26 +0000

You apparently didn’t read post too closely. And the reason all those companies have purchased their .tel is to protect their brand, nothing more, nothing less. If it helps business I’m sure they’ll be pleased also. I’ve seen the demos, I had my own vip.tel. I think it’s neat and a few people might buy them for vanity purposes, but I have no faith that it will catch on with the general public. And wishing it does just because you spent several hundred, maybe thousands of dollars on a few premium .tels isn’t gonna make it so.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:34:17 +0000

Okay………here goes……..
I’m starting to think the company should put me on their payroll…..:-)

Puleeeeeez – Look at the .tel demo at Telnic.org to see how it’s different from Goog411, Yellow Pages and 4-1-1.

Next, if you are thinking internet/.com/pay per click, etc. STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP! This is a whole ‘nuther thing!

First, why would Google (when they have Goog411), Microsoft, Apple, CNN and THOUSANDS of other companies buy their .tel name? Why would a world class city like Paris (France, not Kentucky or Texas) buy their .tel name?

Perhaps, as a lovely convenience for all their customers and constituents. (Good will!) Or perhaps, because they don’t want to be the only ones in the world WITHOUT this lovely convenience. Perhaps they see it as wonderful technology, a step into the future.

In the case of Paris, France they may be doing it not only for the people that live there, but also for tourists and people wanting to move there. Mmmmmmmmm
And that’s just off the top of my head. I think if I worked at Microsoft or was the mayor of Paris I could probably come up with a few more reasons.

Now……….as to how you make money with a .tel name. Here’s one way:

The city of PalmSprings, California, with it’s wonderful residents, tourists, golf courses, weather, etc. would probably love to buy their .tel name……and I will be more than happy to sell it to them.

Lucille

By: Chris R

Chris R — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:11:27 +0000

I think it’s great as a directory, albeit with limited use. We also have YP, 411, google411, etc. The only thing I want to know is how well it will be able to be monetized. Ad dollars are already spread thin. What makes anybody think that people are going to want to spend good money to advertise on a .tel directory when their are plenty of other options that work just as good if not better.

By: EM @KING.NET

EM @KING.NET — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:56:37 +0000

I think this is the way I didn’t get the picture for .mobi, probably the same result.

I could be wrong.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:24:20 +0000

Don’t you call your bank, UPS, AMEX or County from your cell phone anyway? (In spite of their endless menus and numbers to push, to get you where you want to go!)

One click will get you to the correct company office, anywhere in the world. Unless you would rather look up the phone number in the phone book or call information, then dial that number. Then, you would have to ask (if you didn’t already know) how to get to their office, or what their FAX number is, etc. This is the information you could get with one click.

As far as resort.tel, just go to the Telnic.org website and get the demo. .Tel is more sophisticated than you think.

Look, I’m just trying convey information. I realize that everyone won’t see the big picture here, or else everyone would have converted their 401K to cash BEFORE the collapse (as I did).

Lucille

By: V. St. Albans

V. St. Albans — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:09:11 +0000

By the way. It won’t be long before drivers will be banned across the board from celling and operating a vehicle. So maybe you don’t want to be in your car when you are .telling. The National Transportation Safety Board, the same folks that brought us the seat belt law, are on the verge of banning cell phone use while driving. If the states want federal transportation money, they will have to get on board, as in the seat belt laws and raising the age for alcohol consumption. Mothers against Celling and Driving are becoming a big movement.

By: V. St. Albans

V. St. Albans — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:38:56 +0000

So I can just call my bank or UPS or AMEX or Cook County and I won’t have to still wait on line for endless menus of numbers to push and endless recordings? And if I do go to resort.tel then I am limited to whatever that ‘resort’ may be or do I still have to punch in numbers and wait endlessly through menus, like what kind of resort, and where and how much and availability. Sounds easier to use the net. Doesn’t look that easy. I doubt if one WellsFargo.tel click is going to get me where I need. Sounds like bigger cell phone bills to me. I doubt that one click would get me the info I need about how late UPS is open.

By: Lucille

Lucille — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:24:12 +0000

And all this from your cell phone!

Lucille

By: Lucille

Lucille — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:15:41 +0000

Gee, I’m so surprised that most of you guys don’t get the “big picture” regarding .tel.

First, this is a “global phonebook”, not an internet site.

Secondly, the fact that your friends can contact you (as on Linkedin, etc.) is a nice feature…………but the real “meat” is this:

You’re away from your computer, maybe in your car. You suddenly remember you forgot to call your credit card company, American Express……..One click – AMEX.tel.

You have to ship a package. How late is UPS open?……..One click – UPS.tel.

You have to call your bank…………..One click – WellsFargo.tel

You live in Chicago. You want to call the county to inquire about garbage pickup.
……..One click – CookCounty.tel

Then, besides being able to phone them, you are also able to email them or locate them (if you’re going to any one of their branches, stores or offices worldwide.)

Not to mention, you also have access their Skype number, their FAX number or their internet site. What more can anybody ask for?

Lucille

By: Brands-and-Jingles

Brands-and-Jingles — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:07:02 +0000

In its essence, .tel is no better that yellow pages, plaxo, linkedin or any other established directory. The market is already saturated.

Who would invest in .tel domain anyway? Maybe few companies to “protect” their trademarks. At Brands-and-Jingles, we don’t see a big value in them.

There was no progress in last few months. Actual.ly the number of pages indexed by Googled dropped from 670 as of January 2009 to 570 as of today: http://google.com/search?q=site%3Atel

So why bother?