In anticipation of a mobile world, I went ahead and secured the Netmix.mobi URL (do you still call it a URL?) for future use. A few years ago, I’d registered Netmixmobile.com, mainly to make sure that I had my bases covered, but with the new dotMobi suffix coming into play, I thought I’d take advantage and register it just in case one day I need it.
dotMobi domains are registered and administered by EuroDNS.com. There’s been some speculation as to whether the .dotMobi domain will be relevant in the long term, but it is a key differentiator for Internet companies that operate in both spaces. Today, you can deliver specific experiences to targeted web browsers through the header information in your source code, but for companies who want to seperate the experiences, it could make sense. For example, I can get my Gmail over mobile, without having to type in a different domain. I’m just redirected by the web server to the appropriate application, which then delivers to me the correct format and experience for mobile.
The people at dotMobi claim by having a dotMobi address, you’re agreeing to operate a standards based service that conforms to the dotMobi consortiums specifications, and will appear on mobile devices in a more consistent and well structured way than just repointing to a mobile app alongside a web app from a mobile browser. Either way, it’s extra money out of the content provider’s pocket that may or may not have to be spent. For me, better to be safe than sorry. I’d rather own the real estate and see what happens, then be forced to buy it at a premium later. I learned that lesson early on.
In fact, I still own Netmix.TV, which isn’t as cheap as my dotcom or my dotmobi, but that’s because the dotTV domains are registered by the ccTLD, a small island nation in the Atlantic called Tavula. When they were assiged the dotTV TLD, they realized they could make a lot of money registering and administering it to television networks who wanted to own a piece of real estate on the web associated with television. Not a bad idea either, it’s just that we can do everyhing off the dotCom if we need to. But, like I said before, it’s a differentiator, and can allow someone to visit two indepdendent but cojoined experiences on the web at the same time and get two different experiences that quite possibly could be tied together somehow.
Speaking of mobile, we’re in talks with a company to bring the Netmix Radio stream to a mobile audience. In a few short weeks, not only will you be able to listen to Netmix over the web or on your TIVO digital recorder, which brings our streaming partners Live365.com to your living room, but also over your mobile device.
I’m working out the details now and will announce here when the mobile stream goes live.
