An Illustrated Guide to Setting up AdSense for your .TEL

If like many of us, you invested in a few .TEL names that you hope to sell one day, you might have been interested in Telnic's announcement that from the beginning of April, they would be supporting Google AdSense.

Google AdSense is the program that pays you to put mini-ads on your web site. While AdSense has several models, AdSense for Content examines the content of your web site (or .TEL) and matches applicable ads to the content.

For our trial, we took one of our .TEL names, soccer.tel and hooked in AdSense for Content in three easy steps:

• Create an AdSense account
• Create an "AdSense for Content" ad unit
• Setup the .TEL to display the ads

I'm going to skip over the creating an AdSense account section as it's a simple process of visiting www.google.com/adsense and following the sign up process. Instead, I'm going to insert a small but important step, which is getting your .TEL content-ready.

AdSense for Content works on the content of your .TEL, so you need to ensure there's some content there. Fortunately my son and his friend are avid soccer fans and agreed to take over the management and population of content for the .TEL.

Over the past few days they've put together a great resource, tying in: 

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/SoccerDotTel
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/soccer.tel
• A blog: http://soccerdottel.blogspot.com/

All are promoting soccer.tel and are driving traffic to it.

So with some content in our .TEL and an AdSense account created, we're ready to create some ads.

Create an AdSense for Content Ad Unit

Login to your AdSense Account and with the AdSense Setup tab selected, click AdSense for content to start the wizard.

For the first ad, leave the default Ad Type set to "Ad unit: Text and image ads (default)". Click the Continue button.

 
The 'Choose Ad Format and Colors' step requires a change. In the Format section, select 250x250 Square from the drop down. The Colors, Fonts, Corner Styles and More options sections can be left as default. Click the Continue button.

 
The 'Choose Ad Channels' step can be skipped over by clicking the Continue button. Channels allow more detailed tracking of your ad performance but this is an advanced topic and not required to get up and running.

On the 'Save and Get Ad Code' you can name your AdSense unit name. You can leave the default name and click the Submit and Get Code button to create your ad. 

The final screen of the wizard confirms creation of the AdSense unit. A notice advices that Changes may not appear for up to 10 minutes. The screen also provides an area that contains a code snippet, but this is not needed when you are going to use AdSense with a .TEL. Click the Manage Ads link below the AdSense Setup tab.

 
The Manage Ads screen displays a list of active AdSense units. You can use this screen to edit the ad but for the moment we are interested in two references; the Ad Code and Publisher ID.

• The Ad Code is the grey text number in parenthesis immediately below the AdSense unit name in the list of ad units.
• The Publisher ID can always be found in the top right of the screen below your login details.
  

 
Copy these two numbers or open a new web browser window for TelHosting, so that you can easily copy the codes from AdSense to TelHosting. 

Setup a .TEL to Display AdSense Ads

Waiting a few moments before you start setting up the .TEL is a good idea to give Google the 10 minutes it needs to process the ad. If the ad isn't set up by the time you add it to the .TEL, you will see a Page Cannot be Displayed error in the space where you would expect to see the ad. You don't need to do anything, and the ad will start to be displayed once its ready.

Log into your TelHosting account where you manage your .TEL name. If you have more than one .TEL name, remember to select the correct one from the dropdown list in the top right corner.

Click the "Settings" link at the top of the TelHosting screen and then select "Google AdSense Setup" from the left hand menu. If the AdSense link isn't visible in the Edit Settings popup you will need to contact your provider to activate it.

Copy and paste the Publisher ID and Avert ID - 1 into the appropriate boxes and click the Save button.
 
That's it. You have now added an AdSense ad to your .TEL name. Enter the .TEL name in a browser to see the results. As an example, see http://soccer.tel. If the ad doesn't show up immediately, don't worry. Remember it can take a few minutes for your .TEL to update and Google AdSense needs up to 10 minutes to process the ad request.

Depending on the content of your .TEL, you should notice that the ads are closely matched. Sometimes the ads don't appear to be directly related to the nature of your content, but if you examine the words in your content, you should be able to determine why an ad is showing up. The more unambiguous your content, the more closely the ads will match your .TEL. AdSense also takes into account your browsing history and the ads it has served to you on other sites, so this can be a factor too.

Once you've added your first ad you can go back and create a second AdSense for Content unit. http://soccer.tel has two units. The first is a "Text and images ads" like the one created above. The second is an "Images ads" unit which only displays image ads. No matter what type you choose, you must always select the size 250x250, otherwise the content will not fit properly on your .TEL.

Try refreshing the page at http://soccer.tel a few times. You'll notice that sometimes it displays a set of text ads together with an image ad and sometimes it displays two image ads. Clicking an AdSense ad opens the destination site in the same window, so visitors will navigate away from your site, but you make a few cents every time someone clicks an ad.

You can test out your .TEL ad, but don't be expect to make money every time you click. Google monitors and tracks where the clicks are coming from to determine what is a real clickthough and what isn't.

Note that depending on how much information you provided when you created your AdSense account, you may be required to provide additional information, including tax details before Google can release payment for your account.

We were delighted to see that within the first hour of setting up the ad we were already starting to make money and in the hours that followed, the Total Estimated Earnings continued to rise.

If you've registered a .TEL name, whatever you do, don't just let it sit there. AdSense is a great way to pay for the renewal and make a little profit or pay for a few more .TEL names for your portfolio. Developing the .TEL and submitting it to the search engines, gets you on the path to better page ranking and traffic. Over the past year, we've continually seen .TEL names make the first page of the major search engines and in a number of cases, the Google Pagerank of .TEL names out performs their .COM and .CA counterparts.  

Remember to tie your .TEL into Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, as well as your blog and web site. It can be a valuable and integral part of your social media and search engine marketing strategies, driving traffic, providing a mobile presence and improving your overall online visibility.

P.S. As a quick postscript to this article, I'd like to extend my gratitude and tip my hat to the editors of soccer.tel. What started off as a weekend exercise to illustrate AdSense for .TEL has for them turned into a labour of love and what can only be described as a remarkable resource for anyone interested in the game of soccer (and yes, that means football). Billy Walker-Lane and Ashley Perry, two lifelong Chelsea supporters with a passion for the game have continued to build out soccer.tel and will be continuing to develop it in the months and possibly years ahead. If you'd like to give them some feedback or have suggestions for soccer.tel, you can reach them at billywalkerlane.tel and ashleyperry.tel.

On March 5th, Cybele published her secrets to high page rank for her dot tel.

Given the incredible rank she achieved with Cybele.tel, I asked her to wave her magic wand at Webnames.tel as it was sow's ear rather than a silk purse.  On March 11th, she updated the information and enhanced the listings.

Twenty days ago on the search term "Webnames" (on Google.ca) Webnames.tel ranked 2nd on the 2nd page.  On the term "Webnames.ca" it was almost at the bottom of page 3.  For ".tel registrar" I gave up trying to find it after page 14.

The lay of the land looked a bit different this morning.

For the term "Webnames", webnames.tel was 5th on the first page.  For "Webnames.ca" it jumped from page 3 to 5th on the first page. The next one had me gobsmacked.  Webnames.tel jumped from the hinterland of "after page 14" to 5th on the second page for the term ".tel registrar".

Cybele - seriously - we're not worthy. And to all you .tel holders - it's just 20 days to fabulous new you!

Read Cybele's previous blog How to Develop High Page Rank on Google for your .TEL to learn how she got Cybele.tel and Webnames.ca.tel to the first page of Google in a matter of weeks.

Happy 1st birthday .TEL!  It has been quite a year.

One year ago today (March 24, 2009) .TEL general registration launched to the world and today there are about 275,000 .TEL names registered globally.

Webnames.ca has experienced quite a ride over the last year. Beyond just selling .TEL, "the digital business card that never goes out of date", a lot has been accomplished based on the .TEL platform.

.TEL App for the BlackBerry - Webnames.ca got into mobile application development for the first time in 2009. Hornet is a free .TEL address book application that allows you to look up, store and use .TEL names quickly and easily from your Blackberry Smartphone. Enter a .tel name like webnames.tel and instantly download all of a contact's information to your Blackberry. Any updates or changes will be updated as soon as you refresh the entry, so you'll never lose touch or need to update contact information again. More information is available at HornetHub.com; Hornet can also be downloaded at http://hornet.tel

 .TEL Meetup - with 137 entrepreneurial members and six meetups already held, we have developed a great global network of .TEL enthusiasts who meet monthly to talk about the new and exciting developments in .TEL. Speakers have been Skyped in from London and even Beruit and the last meetup was live streamed over the internet. Learn more about, or join the .TEL Meetup group.

.TEL Gift Cards - the first-ever domain retail card has been created so that .TEL names can be sold by brick and mortar retailers across North America. The new retail card lets customers purchase .TEL names, which act as a 'live' digital business card, from stores and shops. The cards can then be activated online at a later date using unique codes printed on the back of the card, making them ideal for retail. CanTalk Wireless Solutions, Blenz Coffee and other retail locations have recently started to offer these cards. Learn more about .TEL gift cards and the .TEL retail card program. 

.TEL Reseller Program - Webnames.ca's .TEL Reseller Program helps resellers earn referral income on .TEL domain name sales. The program provides resellers a branded gateway for selling the popular new .TEL domain at great price-points while earning commissions. Resellers can choose between a one time payment of $5.00 per domain per year registered or $1.75 per domain per year for the lifetime of the registration. To learn more about Webnames.ca's .TEL Reseller Program. 

.TEL Videos - We had a lot of fun shooting our own .TEL videos.

 
Watch some of our other .TEL videos, for example, "Need a Locksmith?" and ".TEL for Realtors Interview" on YouTube. 

One Vancouver - We built an initiative based on a community of partners and projects in Vancouver around .TEL and provided a forum to feature the local .TEL of the day. More info at One-Vancouver.com. 

One San Francisco - Based on the model of One Vancouver, other cities are jumping on board to take advantage of building local communities around .TEL. More info at One-SanFrancisco.com.  

.TEL Radio - Blog Talk Radio Host Marilyn Anderson features .TEL experts and early adopters through her internet radio program. Click here to listen to the .TEL program.  

Dot Tel Central - Dot Tel Central was launched to provide a place on the internet where everything .Tel could be found. It includes a directory of .TEL's, featured links, and even a dot tel awards. To submit your .TEL http://www.dottelcentral.com/

.TEL Blog Posts - Webnames.ca posted 68 .TEL related blog posts. Read our comprehensive selection of .TEL articles under the .TEL section of this blog. 

.TEL Cartoons - Illustrator Scot Ritchie of "The New Yorker" fame drew some .TEL cartoons for Webnames.ca. Check out Scot's terrific cartoon.  

MaelleRicker.tel - Webnames.ca sponsored Canadian Snowboard Cross Olympic Gold Medalist Maëlle Ricker and we are thrilled she won Gold at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Congratulations Maëlle! See her .TEL http://maellericker.tel

Most of all because of .TEL, we have built long-lasting relationships with numerous people who have become close friends and strategic partners in a number of projects and initiatives.

Happy 1st birthday .TEL...and many more!

Here's a quick summary of some of the new features in .TEL:

1. Logo/Picture - you can now upload a logo or picture by referencing the website location (URL) of the image you want to use.

The easiest way I found to achieve this is by referencing my twitter avatar. (right click on your Twitter avatar, click on properties and copy the URL). Paste it into your .TEL where it asks for the "URL".

You can do this with any image on the internet including your logo on your website.

Other way is to click on the option to set up a Gravatar and you put your image of choice up associated with your email and it will automatically be associated with your email on any future blog sites, etc.

Give these a try and any problems, feel free to call the Webnames.ca team at 1-866-221-7878 or locally at 604-633-1142.

2. Better Looking Icons - you will notice that the icons for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn are now showing up rather than in the past, they all showed as "web". This makes for a much nicer look and feel to the page.

3. Colour Themes - You can go and change the colours on your .TEL page. Changing the colours isn't as intuitive as picking a template but experiment a little bit and have some fun to make a more customized look and feel for your .TEL!

4. V-Card - the mapping seems to be improved and seems to be working well.

5. Search Function - at the top right hand corner of every .TEL you can do a search within the specific .tel you are looking for or across all .TEL's in the world. Put in a search term like "webnames" for instance and you will get all the .TEL's with references to "webnames"

6. Print - there is now a quick print button so you can print out the digital business card if you want to kill more trees ;)

For those who think green is in, don't forget to download Hornet.tel for Blackberry or "Superbook" for iPhone if you want to take .TEL names with you and be fully mobile. I have tested Hornet and all works fine with the new changes. iPhone should be working well too.

Hope this helps! Come join us at our next local Dot-TEL Meetup: http://meetup.com/dottel

With any new technology, people need proof of concept and to see real life examples working. I decided a few months ago to track what I was doing with my own .TEL updates for http://cybele.tel and see what effect they would have on how my rank in Google.

My .TEL is now in 5th (see screenshot below) on page 1 of Google (out of 24 pages and 240 true references and 47,800 results to search term "Cybele Negris"). Perhaps more impressive is that it is also in 9th position on page 1 of Google for the search term "Cybele".

Here's How I Did It:

1. Enter Keywords, Description, Map - When I first updated my .TEL name cybele.tel I put very little information on it. I had my website, email address, phone number, a few key words and a map of my location. Since my .TEL name was quite new as well, I found my .TEL on page 7 a few weeks later using my name "cybele negris" as a search term. Not bad. It was a start given how new the name was.

2. Submit your Name to Search Engines:

Google - Add URL page
Yahoo - Add URL page

And to .TEL directories:

Dot TEL Central
Dot TEL Finder

And to have your .TEL featured in the following forums (other locations to come):

One Vancouver
One San Francisco

I submitted to all of the above.  

3. Add Social Media Links and Link Back - A few weeks later, I added a link from my .TEL to my Twitter account and my LinkedIn profile.

I then tweeted about my .TEL and added cybele.tel in my LinkedIn profile thereby referencing back to my .TEL.

4. Add Keywords to the Text Header - Besides using the keywords section at the bottom of the page to add directory information or "Free Text" as it is called in .TEL, make sure you put key words in the text header at the top of the page. When I expanded the description in the text header to include my name my .TEL jumped up in rankings.

5. Use, Promote and Publicize your .TEL! - I started to use my .TEL in my email signature in every email I sent. I gave it out to people at events and functions rather than a business card. I had a new batch of business cards printed to feature my .TEL. I started using my .TEL for what it was intended for. Within another few weeks, I saw my .TEL name jump to page 3 of Google.

6. Folders and Subdomains - The biggest and most significant difference that I saw was when I added "folders" or "subdomains" within my .TEL. I set up separate folders for the various board positions I held with a description that included my name (in your case it may be your key word of choice) within each description.

On my .TEL I set up the following folders:

http://forum-for-women-entrepreneurs.cybele.tel/

http://vancouver-economic-development-commission.cybele.tel/

http://small-business-bc.cybele.tel/

http://small-business-roundtable.cybele.tel/

When I did this, my .TEL shot  to the first page of Google in 7th spot within a couple weeks.

7. Build Up your Link Backs (Especially from other .TEL's) - Recently I started writing for a collaborative blog, Metro Blenz News Squad (see also http://metroblenznewssquad.tel) and I used "cybele.tel" in each post and the metroblenznewssquad.tel had numerous links pointing back to my .TEL.

Having the other .TEL linking to my name managed to bump me up another 2 spots and now I'm sitting at #5 on page one after 2 weeks.

8. Use the New .TEL Features - I have just added a picture which is a brand new feature launched hours ago.

9. Build out Another .TEL - I will now go build out "cybelenegris.tel" and see what happens. Currently, I've added very little data to this domain and I'm just referring people to cybele.tel.

Follow as many of the above steps as you can and your hard work will pay off!

Even if your .TEL is more  "generic" than a personal name, these tips will still help to boost your ranking significantly. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

Webnames.ca has collaborated with Telnic, the organization behind the award-winning .TEL name, to create the first-ever domain retail card so that .TEL names can be sold by brick and mortar retailers across North America.

The new retail card lets customers purchase .TEL names, which act as a 'live' digital business card, from stores and shops. The cards can then be activated online at a later date using unique codes printed on the back of the card, making them ideal retails.

The .TEL retail card is a first for the domain industry. A perfect add-on to a mobile phone or accessory purchase, the first batch of cards can be purchased from CanTalk Wireless stores now.

Nick Ellery, General Manager at CanTalk Wireless Solutions, said: "These retail cards make it easier than ever to promote .tel.  The card and packaging are very appealing and do a great job at expressing the .TEL concept and value to shoppers. Our sales people find it easier to explain and promote .TEL by having the cards available in-store and the registration system provided to retail card users appears to be very easy to follow."

"The .TEL retail card is not only a natural fit for wireless and technology retailers," said Smith, "it also makes sense for retail outlets that offer products to small businesses or business people."

A .TEL name directs people to targeted information such as phone numbers, email addresses, websites, social media profiles and more. It keeps people and businesses connected when their contact details change and it simplifies referrals by allowing its owner to share only one point of contact, for example "you can reach me at SteveSmith.tel".

The program is ramping up with more retailers, including locations of the national coffee franchise Blenz Coffee.

To learn more about Webnames.ca's .TEL retail card program, contact:

Matt Lane, Webnames.ca
http://lane.tel 

Lisa Wills, Webnames.ca
http://lisaw.tel

Read Telnic's .TEL Names Hit Main Street press release.

We all know that one person can have many pieces of contact information:

- Home Telephone Number

- Work Telephone Number

- Cellular Telephone Number

- Email Address

- Home Address

- Website(s) and Social Networking profiles/pages

This is a lot to keep track of and hard to fit on a business card.  Now you're a couple (or in a partnership) and there are twice as many contact details to keep track of!

Give your friends and family a break and just give them your .tel address. 

RobandSandra.tel or JonesFamily.tel for example can be the one place your friends or family need to go to get a hold of you.  When your contact details change, you won't need to email everyone, text out your new phone number or re-print all your business cards, because JonesFamily.tel is always current. 

You may want to stay away from names like SmoochieWoochie.tel, but that's your prerogative. What are you waiting for? Search for your new joint .TEL name today!

Webnames.ca, bringing people closer ;)

Imagine anyone on the planet being able to find and contact you with a single click.

Give your contacts the ability to connect with you through one easy to remember name and make a donation to a worthy cause at the same time.

........................................................................................................................................

Webnames.ca has partnered with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society in an effort to raise money for their deserving initiatives.

Register YourName.tel name through the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society's .TEL Page and $5.00 of your $19.99 registration fee will go directly to the foodbank! 

Better yet, because 25% of the registration fee is donated, the longer your registration term the larger the donation to the Food Bank.

For example, if you register for 5 years, $25.00 will be donated  ... if your register for 10 years, $50 will be donated!

Visit the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society's .TEL Page and REGISTER TODAY!

Learn more about the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society by visiting their website.  

Santa gave us the gift of .TEL last year ... but there are still plenty of fantastic .TEL names left that you can register for yourself or for a loved one (or for someone who is kooky for Christmas).

Scrooge.tel

Tidings.tel

Wassail.tel

Yuletide.tel

Eggnog.tel

Candycane.tel

Mince.tel

Pumpkinpie.tel

Sweetpotato.tel

Mistletoe.tel

Alleluia.tel

Frankincence.tel

Myrrh.tel

Wisemen.tel

Icicles.tel

Tinsel.tel

Sled.tel

Sleigh.tel

Selighbells.tel

Kriskringle.tel

Dasher.tel

Donner.tel

Prancer.tel

Blitzen.tel

So stuff those stockings with cheery, christmasy .tel names!

There is a lot of hand wringing in the domainer community about when .tel will really take off. The future is now people.  If not one other person ever purchased a .tel name, it would not matter.  You have and it's a fabulous utility. You just have to start using it.

I have my personal .tel name as my signature in my home email.  Recently I was apartment hunting.  I emailed out to prospective landlords asking to see their apartments.
I went to see one apartment and the landlord asked me about my .tel name and I told him all about it.  He thought .tel was very interesting.  I was filling out the reference form and he wanted my boss's phone number.  I had no clue what it was so I wrote down his .tel name!

In response to "how can I reach you" I'm giving out my .tel name.  It's a totally cool name and saves me from having to give out my home number and my cell number and then droning on about why I refuse to pay the $8 for voicemail on my cell phone.

.Tel - good for you, good for landlords, good for me! Search for yours here.

I was invited to speak at a really great event last week "Leadership Lessons from Influential Women in Business". It was put on by Business in Vancouver, Professional Women's Network, and Young Women in Business. The event was sold out!

I was honoured to be part of a group of women that included Tamara Vrooman CEO of Vancity, Sarah Morgan-Silvester Chancellor of UBC, Karen flavelle of Purdy's Chocolates and many other successful women in Vancouver. Here is a complete list of all the women who spoke.

The room was a constant buzz of energy. The topic I spoke about was "The Power of Networking".  The 3 groups of women who joined me, in true networking form, traded business cards as soon as they arrived at the table. We discussed everything from the fear of networking, networking outside of your comfort zone, how to turn networking into sales, some of the great networking groups in Vancouver and of course, the big topic of social media & networking.

1. Recognize your fear - Most people who don't network a lot have a fear of it. When you're talking to someone, they are probably more nervous than you are. Recognizing that fear is normal and common is a great first step to overcoming it.

2. Develop your networking style - Do men and women have different networking styles? Some thought that men were more aggressive and women had softer styles. Personally, I don't like to generalize. The point is, be true to who you are and be genuine, honest and natural in your interactions in order to develop valuable connections and relationships.

3. Use Social Networking tools - from LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter, there are great ways to connect with people these days. Everyone who used LinkedIn found great value in it as it allows you to keep up-to-date on the activities of your network without actively having to talk to each person regularly. You can also keep your network abreast of your updates. Many people didn't understand the value of Twitter although more people are starting to try it out. Twitter is a very fast way to get your message out to a lot of people.

The key point to remember is to make sure you use these tools appropriately and manage your reputation carefully. Maintain work-related content and avoid posting anything too personal and certainly avoid anything inappropriate. Your reputation is out there for anyone to see whether it be future employers, future clients or business partners or future acquirers of your business.

4. Recommended networking groups - There are many industry specific groups.

I'm on the Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and can attest to the amazingly high quality of programs and networking events. The next FWE 2010 Gala on January 18, 2010 will celebrate the people who invest in entrepreneurs. Keynote speakers will include stars of the popular shows Dragon's Den and Fortune Hunters.

One group I joined recently is the High Output Business Network They combine the power of social networking and weekly chapter meetings in a no non-sense "this is what I need" and "how can I help you" format, that I find surprisingly refreshing.

The Vancouver Board of Trade has some great events as well and at the beginning of each event, people are invited to exchange cards and ask "how can I help you". This format really helps those who are typically too shy to approach others at a networking event and I highly recommend it to those who are just starting to network.

The Women's Enterprise Centre has a comprehensive list of the various networking groups for women in BC.

5. Start your own group!  - There are a number of less formal groups in your local area called "Meetups". These are formed with specific topic areas like entrepreneurs, sales, social media, real estate. I joined the dotTel meetup recently. Go to www.meetup.com to find one that suits your interest. If you don't find a group that fits your interests, you can even start your own.

6. Importance of Followup - Many people go to a networking event and come back to the office with a stack of business cards and they sit on a desk for a while before they get tossed in the garbage -- wasted time and some trees sacrificed in the meantime. When you meet someone, write on the card where you met them and a few notes about them. Write a followup to the people you met the next day to continue the conversation you had and to build on the connection you made.

.TEL - Making Networking More Successful

To facilitate easier networking and life-long connections, Webnames.ca gave away three .TEL names as prizes at the event. .TEL is like a virtual business card. You give out your easy to remember .TEL name rather than a business card.

The information in a .TEL is much richer than what fits on a small card and can include email, phone, fax, Skype, SMS, Google map, links to blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. The true beauty is you can update your contact information as often as you like without having to reprint business cards and whoever has your .TEL name will have your up-to-date contact information for life.

Photo:
L to R. Cheryl Carter-Business in Vancouver, Laurel Douglas-Women's Enterprise Centre, Paulina Lipska-Young Women in Business

Earlier in the month we randomly drew a winner in our .TEL -Blackberry Strom contest.

Webnames.ca customer Nancy Hamilton is the recipient of a fancy new Blackberry Storm smartphone courtesy of our friends over at Telus.

In fact, Nancy's own .TEL is great example of how to use .TEL for business - check it out at http://nancyhamilton.tel/

Thank you again to Marcy, Corporate Account Manager at Telus Wireless Enterprise Solutions, for the amazing prize.

Stay tuned for our next contest coming soon!

Sure - we can all get fergusjones.tel or maryp.tel and people will remember them but you might want to consider being unforgettable.

Keep Fergus and Mary as your professional .tel name.  For your personal name, you want to dazzle the person you are giving it do.  Maryp.tel versus tornado.tel - there really is no competition.

The following list has cool names on it.  Then I got a bit desperate and moved onto somewhat cool. Then I moved on to 4 letter names that I can't believe are still available. 

Frostbite is THE coolest name available - Oxen is much less cool but it's short and snappy. 

Frostbite
Tinfoil
Brainiac
Vapour
Icicle
Meltdown
Scarab
Tarantula
Nighthawk
Firebird
Gremlin
Veyron
Pale
Mixy
Oodles
Mump
Wonk
Curb
Glum
Oxen
Hilt

Now go register yourself an unforgettable, enigmatic, dot TEL identity already!  

We loved our dot tel 411 and Locksmith videos and now we have 3 more videos to love.

Telregistrations.com is laying down the dot tel video gauntlet with these fantastic, animated advertisements. The videos illustrate the usefulness of a dot tel for everyone.  The music is great as is the "Charlie Brown's teacher" voiceovers. A co-worker liked the "Pear" logo on the phone.  Very cute and clever indeed.

Go telregistration.com, go!

Instant Website http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww6i-ZTkEgY
How to be cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKoLO_mKSlI
Dial your name http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYGgGvo4KoE

Have you been following the .TEL story but still have questions? Perhaps you've already got your .TEL but want to learn how to integrate it into your Social Media and marketing strategies? Well if you're based in Vancouver, why not come along to the first Dot Tel Meet Up meeting on Friday, October 9th?

Webnames.ca isn't organizing the Meet Up but we'll definitely have one or two people attending. The event has been organized by Marilyn Anderson of Duet Media as an opportunity for people interested in .TEL to get together and talk about the new technology and exchange ideas and stories.

Event Details

The event takes place starts at 7:30am on Friday, October 9th at the Harrison Galleries at 901 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2W6. [View Map] 

Places are limited and while the meeting is free, registration is required. For more details and to register for the event please visit http://www.meetup.com/dotTel/

The amazing illustrator Scot Ritchie  gave us a fantastic cartoon to use to advertise .tel to realtors.  It shows one realtor with lots of information on his lawn sign and one realtor just using her .tel name on her sign.

We are looking for clever captions to use in the advert and are hoping that our regular blog readers will be up to the task of coming up with some great lines. For those of you who have been off the grid since spring, .TEL is a service that stores all of your contact information under one easy to remember name - yourname.tel.

Submit your line today to marketing@webnames.ca and if we like it you will get a free .tel name of your choice, the cartoon with your line published for two weeks in Realty Link Magazine, gushing blog posts and tweets about how great you are.

You can submit more than one caption - if we like them we'll use them and you get more free .tels, and more gushing blogs and tweets.

Be sure to check out more of Scot Ritchie's work at www.scotritchie.com, his illustrations will be the highlight of your day.
 

We have a steady number of people downloading Hornet, our free Blackberry .tel address book.

We could not have gotten the volume if the app had not been featured on some of the Blackberry blogs.

Rimarkable.com  is sending us a lot of traffic (such a clever name) and hot on their heels are: blackberryrocks.com, blackberryblast.com, blackberry-fr.com, blackberryos.com, blackberrythemes.co.uk, getmyblackberry.com and pdablast.com.

These are all great blogs with lots of good resources, and good articles.  If you own a Blackberry, you should take the time to check them out!

The .TEL address book with hustle

Webnames.ca has launched the alpha version of "Hornet", the .TEL address book application for Blackberry® Smartphones. Hornet is designed to easily manage and use .TEL names. When a .TEL name is entered into Hornet, all of the contact details are instantly downloaded.

When your friends update or add new contact information, the updates are immediately propagated and can be seen on your Blackberry® when the .TEL name is refreshed.

Next time you meet someone, ask them what their .TEL name is and just enter it into Hornet. You will never have to exchange paper business cards again!

Access to personal data can be limited by marking it as private and electing to share it only with people you authorize and is supported in the Hornet application.

To download Hornet, go to http://hornethub.com or http://hornet.tel and download directly onto your Blackberry®. 

Support & FAQs: http://www.hornethub.com/support/
Download now: http://www.hornethub.com/download/ or http://hornet.tel
Get a .TEL name: http://hornethub.com or http://www.webnames.ca

As of last week, .TEL reached 200,000 registrations. This milestone was achieved less than two months after general registration started on March 26. For a TLD that isn't particularly easy to explain, or easy to grasp, .TEL is doing phenomenally well. The concept and potential utility of  .TEL resonates with businesses and individuals more than other recently released domain extensions because it provides a simple, lifelong point of connection. 

With 200,000 .TEL names registered, it's probably safe to assume that:

• Most common dictionary words and place names are gone
• All 3 letter combinations are registered
• Numbers have been snapped up
• Trademarks are safeguarded

So what does that leave?  Lot's of great names apparently!

Popular phrases and word combinations come to mind. Family names.  And surprisingly, lot's of good, single dictionary words are also still available. This leads me to believe that tonnes of great word combinations must be left too.

With 171,476 words currently in use according to the Oxford English Dictionary, we decided to do a little expiriment to see what was still available in the land of .TEL. A colleague and I rambled off 25 words each in rapid succession, then entered them into a .TEL domain search.

Here are our results (as of 2:21 pm PST on Friday, May 22nd):

Crows.tel  Available   
Punch.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Cardboard.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Fixate.tel  Available
Impressive.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Rationale.tel  Available   
Vitality.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Operational.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Glamorous.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Impossibility.tel  Available   
Fabricate.tel  Available   
Sleuth.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Sneakers.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Ciao.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Arriba.tel  Available   
Bonbons.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Folksong.tel  Available
Immediacy.tel  Available   
Cuddles.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Template.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Tackle.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Wandering.tel  Available   
Stinger.tel  Available   
Reaction.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Swollen.tel  Available   
Irritant.tel  Available   
Refreshing.tel  Whois | Make Offer
Breezy.tel  Available   
Tender.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Touching.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Engaging.tel  Available   
Decisive.tel  Available
Burnt.tel  Available   
Limerick.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Siamese.tel  Available   
Ocean.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Trapeze.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Parachute.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Olivertwist.tel  Available   
Artisan.tel  Taken   Whois | Make Offer
Ample.tel  Available
Taxonomy.tel Available

We thought the results were pretty encouraging. Now go search for your .TEL name (fingers crossed it's still available!).   

  I'm kinda, sorta, maybe in the market to buy a house.  As I walk through the neighbourhood admiring other people's gardens, I stumble upon a house for sale that appeals to me.

Sadly, by the time I have arrived home, I have forgotten the address of the house for sale. I could not give you the name of the realtor on penalty of death and don't get me started on what the phone number was.

Attention realtors - if you all would break down and get yourname.tel and plop it on your "for sale" signs, I would be forever grateful.

I could go to the library and the grocery store and still remember amyjones.tel by the time I got home.

Now there is no guarantee that this handy dandy name will induce me to purchase the house - I am quite adamant about a window over the kitchen sink and no, not everyone wants granite counters, black (dust collecting) or silver (smudge collecting) appliances.  

But at least I'll come and look around.  And I'll remember your name.  And I'll refer you to my friends. 

And you can open up your own agency and I'll still find you 5 years later.  That's the great thing about tel - the game may have changed but the name remains the same.

More Information for Realtors

To register your .tel name, click here.

To watch a short video about how .TEL works and its befefits to realtors, click here.