JuliannaLet’s begin with the obvious: What is .mobi?
.mobi ( aka dotMobi ) is the newest top-level domain dedicated to mobile devices and websites created for them on the Mobile Web. Sponsored by a consortium of telecommunications and computing giants, including Google, Microsoft, Sony and Nokia, .mobi is also a sponsor of W3C’s Mobile Web Initiative.
What is the purpose behind the .mobi TLD?
The purpose behind .mobi? In short order: to help make the Internet more compatible with your mobile phone or mobile-ready device.
If you access the Internet with a mobile phone or PDA , chances are you have encountered slow, patchy or unpredictable service. Websites frequently render poorly in handheld devices, with a myriad of height, width and display issues. Until recently, there was no standard format for navigating the mobile web or surefire way to identify whether a website is mobile compatible. .mobi will help forward Internet-wide standards for mobile computing and navigation, in turn facilitating a better end-user experience and greater mobile viewing consistency.
This is not to say .Mobi is without critics. Many have argued that mobile content can be standardized without the need of another TLD, for example, by using hostnames within an existing domain or through cascading style sheets. Citing the dilution of .COM, .NET and .ORG as examples, critics contend that properly designed websites should be enough to attract mobile users. While these points have merit, a quick look at the URL’s of North America’s most widely accessed mobile websites illustrates why .mobi is more than a clever marketing gimmick:
Yahoo!: http://wap.oa.yahoo.com
AOL: http://mobile.aol.com
MSN: http://mobile.msn.com
Google: http://google.com/xhtml
ESPN: http://proxy.espn.go.com/wireless/espn/
Weather Channel: http://xhtml.weather.com/xhtml/
ABC News: http://wap.go.com/abcnews/
BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile
(example from RussellBeattie.com)
Of the above examples, only two URL’s utilize the same format, the rest have varying versions of subdomains and directories that include XHTML, Mobile, WAP and Wireless. With .mobi, you will be able to type www.mybusiness.mobi into your mobile browser, find the website you want and know it is optimized for mobile viewing. Naming consistency is a huge first step in the right direction.
Are there any special requirements to obtain a .mobi name?
Yes. Because the ultimate goal of .mobi is to put standards in place for a lighter, more scalable mobile Internet, websites with .mobi domain names (www.maps.mobi, www.mybusiness.mobi ) must comply with best practices outlined in the .mobi “Switch On!” guides.
The mandatory rules for .mobi are straightforward, easy to apply and most importantly, enforceable. Basically, all .mobi pages must be programmed in XHTML, a markup language that has the same expressive potential as HTML, but a stricter syntax. XHTML programmed pages will ensure that nearly all Internet-ready phones can view the content. Second, the use of frames is prohibited. And finally, all .mobi domains should be accessible without first typing ‘www’, for example: mybusiness.mobi rather than http://www.mybusiness.mobi. Redirects to other URL’s are fine, as long as the end user lands on an XHTML page.
.Mobi websites will be audited for compliance by the mTLD registry; the frequency and method of policing however has not been made explicit. .Mobi websites not in compliance with mandatory rules will have 60 days to become so. All names that remain noncompliant after 60 days are be placed into ‘hold status’ until they become compliant with the mandatory rules. A formal policy is forthcoming on the official .mobi website.
Should I bother to register a .mobi domain?
If you are debating whether or not to register the .mobi of your primary domain name, here are some statistics to mull over:
Currently, mobile devices (phones, pda’s, organizers) outnumber personal computers by four to one. Mobile phones alone outnumber both televisions and PCs combined. And to illustrate the rapid growth of mobile technology worldwide, more than 811 million mobile phones were sold in 2005, and 235 million in the second quarter of 2006 alone – most of these having full Internet capabilities. With millions of North Americans checking email, news, stocks, scores, menus and movie listings via the mobile web – a number expected to rise to 2 billion worldwide by 2008 – forward thinking businesses need to be available to their clients and customers anytime, from anywhere.
With the integration of advanced web services such as calendars, address books, task lists and photo albums into mobile websites (for example, Yahoo Go for Mobile), mobile Internet use is gaining widespread appeal. While you certainly don’t need a .mobi URL to have a mobile friendly site, websites with .mobi domains are immediately recognizable as mobile friendly to potential customers. Moreover, Google has already optimized for mobile content (http://www.google.com/xhtml), with other search engines following suit.
Having a .mobi website is essential for any business or organization that regularly updates information on their website (news, weather, highway service) or has a brick and mortar location their customers must find (ie. takeout restaurant, laundromat, movie theatres, retail store, sporting or theatrical venue, autobody, library, etc.). .Mobi allows potential consumers to view your products at their convenience and contact your business easily irrespective of their physical location.
General registration for .mobi began on September 26th, 2006.
For more information on registering your trademark .mobi name, email corporate@webnames.ca today.
For more about .mobi, see the following articles and resources:
* mTLD .Mobi
* Wikipedia entry for .mobi
* Mobile net is go with .mobi approval – The Register editorial by Kieren McCarthy
* Is .mobi only half a whale? – CNET editorial by Matt Lake
* Russell Beattie discusses .mobi
* CircleID posts on .mobi
* .Mobi aims to standardize mobile web – BetaNews editorial by Ed Oswald
* .Mobi search on Google