I respect your opinion but, to my mind, I would never advise a client to choose a .mobi because the .com is not available. For one thing, do you think MyCompany.com, with a service mark on the name, would not think it to be a violation if a MyCompany.mobi showed up?

Also, the branding implications are serious.

What she fails to grasp is the enormity of the mobilenet (circa 2010 – 2015) and the inevitability that there will soon (by soon I mean 3 to 5 years) be more web access ‘visits’ made via these small screen devices than desk top PC’s.

Personally, I think there is a vacuum to be filled where those with existing websites need to fill the ‘mobile space’ and that needs to be done on a case by case basis – some companies may just require a mobile front page with contact details… some companies will have sites offering ecommerce on their most popular or latest products, some sites will wish to have full blown ecommerce sites, others will simply have a mobile access site – take ringtones & wallpapers for example – why load these via a PC when you can load straight to the device?
Obviously the same goes for music – it won’t be long before PC’s don’t see as much action loading MP3’s as mobile devices will…
Then there are companies that have services which have an ‘on the move’ element to them… bus companies, train companies, airlines, ferrys, car hire, weather, gigs, events, churches & mosques even… the mobile sites will evolve to become independent offerings – that is the BIG USP that these dies in the wool SEO people don’t ‘get’ (yet)
Sooner or later they will begin to realise that mobile sites are not best utilised when simply trying to shink down the desk-top version for a small screen… the mobilenet is a huge opportunity for marketing, promotion, services & of course evolution of the internet / mobilenet.

Take a look at the hundreds of pages of resources at mtld.mobi / dev.mobi etc… and of course for a brief but compelling overview take a look at WHY.mobi

It is my professional opinion that these self-proclaimed experts are really misleading their clients and their conference guests by completely overlooking the opportunities that the mobile net & dot.mobi have to offer and are instead treating it as a ‘problem’ to be resolved… It’s true of all things I suppose; where some see trouble, others see opportunity!

Please get your facts straight. If you think that the iphone killed.mobi, then go to http://Zem.mobi on your iphone. Do you own an iPhone Rebecca?

And if you think MizPEE.com is a good moble site, then try http://johny.mobi and you tell me which site is more informative and loads quicker and updated every day and only at its beging stages.

I always remeber this saying from my 8th grade teacher 19 years ago and she was a catholic nun. This is directed at people that are afraid of .mobi becoming huge eventualy (which it is) .mobi sites are only poping up more and more every day now. ANyway here is that saying to who ever thinks .mobi is dead and over.

“Confusious says: HE WHO KNOWS WHAT HE DOES NOT KNOW IS STUPID!” I never understood that when I was younger, but more and more Every year, I am starting to understand what it acutaly means!”

PS if .mobi is dead, then why did http://autotrader.mobi just spring up? And many more sites that you dont know about from many major companies have been springing up.

Last question….Why are you so affraid of .mobi Rebbeca? Everyone is waiting your anwer, obviosuly there is some kind of fear IMHO.

Johny

Can any explain, in detail, why all of a sudden a device like the iPhone is the death of dot mobi? I ask this because as these comments are rehashed from even before the iPhone release.

And as the site 84T.mobi clearly explains and SHOWS, the viewing of a full page PC site is hardly optimal on the iphone for the viewer’s experience. Seems like that is the one equation missing all these discussions and meet ups. If folks in attendance would stop and view themselves as consumers and approach these from that standpoint then I think everyone would be singing a different tune.

Not to mention that their whole advice is based on a product that occupies less than a 9% market share of the smart phone market.

Sure, that’s what I want to do…ignore the other 91% of the market.

Naturally you can assume that I am involved with .mobi from my points. Yet you would be missing the point which is…do nothing and their other options are not viable from a business and marketing standpoint.

Plus, besides being a domainer and successful business person, I am above all a consumer and their advice, if followed, have just spoiled the entire mobile-sphere and my experience of using a mobile device to connect to the internet.

While we can chastise the heckler as being unprofessional (in all seriousness well deserving rebuttal) it is grossly unprofessional to not explore all options of the now and future mobile web. Then again, in another column, Ms. Krum related that the word “mobile web” is misused and does not actually exist.

Yup, I want to put all my trust and confidence in someone leading me in the path of ignoring 91% of the market.

If you are not convinced that there are viable options, then please check out 84T.mobi and why.mobi. Oh, they work equally well and flawlessly on the phone and PC.

The champ hit six of the eight points Char makes. Mr. Pink-shirt man, I didn’t meet though I might be the jerk she refers to who had to take a phone call (on silent vibe ring) and leave the room during the first session.