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NIC.LV and dotMobi: making Latvia mobile

Friday, May 6th, 2011

At a recent event held in the beautiful Latvian capital of Riga, we announced a joint project between the Latvian ccTLD Registry NIC.LV and dotMobi to promote awareness about the mobile Web in Latvia.

As part of this project, NIC.LV now gives all .LV registrants the option to activate a “.LV.mobi” extension corresponding to their .LV domain at no extra charge, so that they can use it to identify and more easily promote their mobile website.

The center of Riga

One of the key benefits of using a ccTLD domain like .LV is that it is an easy and intuitive way of providing a strong local context to the site visitors. That local context is even more relevant as Internet users become increasingly mobile, and start using their mobile phones to look for information about businesses and services around them. Adding a .mobi at the end of the ccTLD domain is the best way to build on that local context: it emphasizes that a site is both locally relevant and mobile friendly at the same time. Now, .LV domain holders can focus on promoting their online identity around their .LV domain, while enjoying the benefit of being more easily and reliably findable on mobile.

It is the first time that two TLD registries come together in such a way. We are very pleased to be working with NIC.LV on this project, as they are known for their commitment to providing innovative services and going the extra mile for the benefit of their local community.

Also, working with NIC.LV allows dotMobi’s message on the growing importance of the mobile Web to reach the Latvian market more effectively, and we are convinced that this will prove a winning combination… and an example that we can export to many other countries in the future.

To help .LV registrants exploit this opportunity and support the development of the mobile Web in Latvia, we’ve also launched the goMobi.lv site with our partner SIA Amberbit. The site gives all .LV registrants who do not have a custom-developed mobile site to use their .LV.mobi domain with goMobi to build a strong, effective mobile presence for their business.

Posted in dotMobi, Events, goMobi, Mobile Web, Partners | No Comments »

Meet goMobi v1.3

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

goMobi in action.

On Monday, 7 February, dotMobi released an upgrade to our award-winning goMobi product, bringing it to version 1.3.

While there’s lots to tell you about it, our friends at OpenSRS wrote a very good blog entry explaining everything you need to know about the new version.

So rather than reiterate what they’ve already said so well, let me direct you to their blog for full details.

Tags: dotMobi, goMobi, mobile Internet, mobile web, OpenSRS, sites
Posted in dotMobi, goMobi, Partners | 1 Comment »

goMobi goes global

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

Along with winning an Irish Software Association award for best technical innovation of 2010, goMobi has just graduated to version 1.2 — a release designed to make goMobi global with advanced language capabilities leading the pack of new features.

First, goMobi is now available in multiple languages for both site owners and sites visitors. goMobi site owners can now use the goMobi Setup Assistant in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Simplified Chinese, and can display the site in any of those languages. Also, with a single click, visitors can view a goMobi site in the language of their choice, with 14 languages available. This capability makes goMobi unique in being able to create a mobile presence that is globally useable and ubiquitous.

Another cool new feature is that goMobi users can publicize their events, like sales or conferences, via an XML feed from Google Calendar. And we’ve updated the ”Find Us” feature so that it now shows the direction and distance to the site owner’s business from the user’s current location on phones that have a GPS or compass functionality.

For our goMobi sales partners, we’ve added enhanced reporting capabilities that allow the exporting of goMobi subscription information along with the ability to more easily track trial customers to encourage them to convert to “live” accounts. We’ve also created new marketing materials for sales partners in English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

If you’re interested in goMobi — and given how easily you can create a mobile presence with it, you should be — you can read more at http://goMobi.info. And you can get a goMobi subscription from a variety of Internet service companies, including BulkRegister, eNom, Instra Corporation, IP Mirror, name.com and OpenSRS.

Posted in Content, dotMobi, goMobi, Mobile Web, Software | 1 Comment »

Welcome to the new .mobi Advisory Group!

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

It’s now five years since ICANN granted dotMobi the rights to administer and market the .mobi domain. Being a “sponsored” Top Level Domain, .mobi represents a community — in this case, the mobile Internet community — and the dotMobi company has sought out ways to provide opportunities for its community members to let their views be known on its policies, procedures, and practices. Ongoing community outreach activities include dotMobi’s developer forum, mobiForge, and our marketing portal, mobiThinking. dotMobi also makes concerted efforts to engage with members of other community forums, such as Mobility.mobi.

In recent months, dotMobi has been working to revamp its existing.mobi Advisory Group (MAG), which acted as an independent trade association for several years. One new change is that MAG is no longer a dues-paying organization, something which should go some way to attracting new members. MAG is now an online-based community and, by signing up to become a MAG member, you receive a regular newsletter with updates and information on dotMobi’s products, initiatives and upcoming projects. And as a member, you are able to send us feedback on any of dotMobi’s initiatives, both domain and mobile Web related. And in turn, dotMobi can relay messages to and share information with the MAG community.

How do you know if you should be a member of the MAG?
The MAG community is made up of stakeholders who are involved in any way with the mobile Web and dotMobi ecosystem, whether you’re a developer, a mobile handset manufacturer, a content provider or simply a mobile end-user. Examples of MAG community members include:

Individual and business consumers of mobile devices, services and applications
Mobile content and service providers
Mobile operators
Mobile device manufacturers and vendors
IT technology and software vendors serving the mobile community
.mobi domain name registrants
dotMobi-accredited registrars

So make sure your opinions and ideas are heard: join the .mobi Advisory Group today.

Posted in dotMobi, ICANN, Messages from dotMobi, mobiForge, mobiThinking | No Comments »

.mobi Premium Names Update

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

.mobi Logo

Early in 2006, there was a friendly woman sitting in a small office in Reston, Virginia. Every day, she poured over thousands of Web searches and lead dozens of calls with representatives from a dozen different companies.

Later in 2006, that woman emerged, tired but still smiling, with the first draft of the .mobi Premium Name list. And several drafts later, the official .mobi Premium Name list was released.

When dotMobi was granted its contract by ICANN to sell the .mobi domain, ICANN was aware that the dotMobi company would have a unique role in helping to bring the mobile Web to life. To that end, ICANN allowed dotMobi to hold back approximately 5,000 domains, to be called “Premium Names,” that could be allocated via auctions and requests for proposals. The hope was that these frequently searched terms would be used to create unique mobile content rather than simply being purchased and converted into “pay per click” pages. That’s why many .mobi Premium Names that have been allocated have had content requirements attached to them.

And that’s how dotMobi became the first registry to sell Premium Names, and we paved the way for other TLDs to launch similar initiatives.

The processes we’ve put into place have generated sites like doctor.mobi, autism.mobi and wine.mobi. We have tried and tested several allocation processes, and continue to try and be responsive to the market. But there are only a handful of names that we’ve allocated … until now.

Since dotMobi has been under new ownership for several months now, we’ve had time to bring some projects to life that — for a variety of reasons — we weren’t able to previously, and that includes looking at allocating more of our Premium Names.

To help with that, dotMobi has made its remaining Premium Names “live.” By that, I mean each Premium Name now has its own Web page (which of course is accessible via a standard PC or a mobile phone.) For example, sex.mobi has a page at http://sex.mobi while wheel.mobi has a page at http://wheel.mobi.

Also, each page contains an “expression of interest” form, where someone who desires a specific name can let us know his or her interest in that name. And when that name is in line to be allocated, all parties who have expressed an interest will be informed as to how they can participate in that name’s allocation process.

This will let us formulate a strategy for accelerating the allocation of .mobi Premium Names. There is no timeline yet, but as new allocation opportunities arise, dotMobi will not be shy about letting interested parties — as well as the general public — know.

If you’re curious to learn more, download the full list of .mobi Premium Names, which link to their corresponding Web pages and expressions of interest forms.

Posted in Auctions, dotMobi, ICANN, Premium Names | 2 Comments »

goMobi Challenge — Extended and iPadded!

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

The goMobi Challenge is on now!

Given that it’s been a very hot summer this year, we decided everyone needed a few days to regroup for the goMobi Challenge.
Since we want to see just how personalized you can make a goMobi site, we’re giving you a little extra time to show us your stuff. We’ve extended the contest through October 17, 2010.

And along with the first-prize package of 100 one-year subscriptions to the goMobi product and highlighting you and your winning entry via an international press release, we’re giving the winner a 16 GB, WiFi-enabled iPad (all the better for looking at mobile websites).

But time is still short, so get going now.

Tags: .mobi, contests, dotMobi, goMobi, iPad, mobile web
Posted in Content, Contests, dotMobi, goMobi, Software | No Comments »

goMobi gets better

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

goMobi, our flagship mobile site builder and content management tool, is now even better.

While we designed it to be as easy as possible for small business owners to use, we also added features for what in the old days we would have called “power users” — Web developers and designers. And as power users are wont to do, they let us know as soon as we launched in June what they wanted to see added. We listened. And here it is: new transcoding options plus “Quick Site Copy” and “Add Pages” features.

The transcoding options now include full control of existing website content transformation into mobile-friendly content along with automatic transcoding of subpages within a desktop site for a seamless mobile user experience. The goMobi “Quick Site Copy” feature lets developers rapidly reproduce goMobi sites for similar business types without having to recreate work. This means developers can save time and money by creating templates for clients with like needs, such as nightclubs or law offices. The “Add Pages” feature makes it easy to create an unlimited number of additional goMobi pages for flexibility in creating unique mobile websites.

While these are all solid features, what’s especially striking for me is how quickly we’re able to roll out features on the goMobi platform. dotMobi’s engineering team, lead by Ronan Cremin, did a terrific job in building goMobi from the ground up as a tool that would easily expand to meet user needs … as this release proves.

If you’re part of our Web developer and designer audience, enjoy the new features. And if you have ideas for others, just let us know via contact@dotmobi.mobi.

Posted in dotMobi, goMobi, Software | No Comments »

HostingCon 2010 welcomes dotMobi as its official mobile partner

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

HostingCon 2010 runs July 19-21 in Austin, Texas

Just a quick note on a special blog entry from HostingCon 2010 — the premier conference and trade show for the hosted services industry — welcoming dotMobi as the show’s official mobile partner.

The event runs July 19-21, 2010, in Austin, Texas. dotMobi will feature our new goMobi product, but the dotMobi team will be glad to answer any questions you may have about dotMobi, the .mobi domain or the mobile Web. dotMobi is sharing a booth with our friends at Afilias, who will feature their Managed DNS service.

And since we know July in Texas is hot, we’ll have something in the booth to help keep you cool. Just drop by and ask.

See you in Austin!

Posted in dotMobi, Events, goMobi, Partners | No Comments »

dotMobi Joins President of Ireland for China Visit

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Photo of dotMobi CEO Trey Harvin with Irish President Mary McAlees in China

dotMobi continues to support its presence in China by joining the President of Ireland for an in-country visit.

On 16 June 2010, dotMobi’s CEO, Trey Harvin, demonstrated the company’s commitment to China during an in-country visit from the Irish President. From left to right: Kevin Sherry, Director of International Sales & Partnering, Enterprise Ireland; Trey Harvin, dotMobi CEO; Liu Duo, Director of Communications, Standard Research Institute, MII; Dr. Martin McAleese; Irish President Mary McAleese; Yang Zemin, President of CATR, MIIT; and Declan Kelleher, Irish Ambassador to China.

Tags: .mobi, China, dotMobi, Enterprise Ireland, Ireland
Posted in dotMobi, Events, Partners | No Comments »

Announcement re: dotMobi Ownership

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

In case you haven't seen the good news elsewhere, the dotMobi company has been acquired by Afilias.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Afilias, it's a leading and well-established registry company that's been providing registry operation services for the .mobi domain since it launched in 2006. Afilias is also the registry for .info and .aero, and provides technical services in support of 15 top-level domains, including .org (under contract to Public Interest Registry), .asia, and ccTLDs. In all, Afilias supports about 15 million registrations across these TLDs. In short, Afilias is an expert at supporting and growing new TLDs. For them, this acquisition is an opportunity to capitalize on a high growth area of the internet — mobile usage.

The ownership change will be invisible from an operations perspective. The change you will likely see, though, is an increased emphasis on the .mobi domain itself, along with dotMobi's award-winning services like Instant Mobilizer and DeviceAtlas.

While we have an extensive FAQ, there is one question many of you probably have, "How does this impact dotMobi’s relationship with its 14 founders?"

The founders of dotMobi remain committed to the mobile Web and support dotMobi's central role in helping consumers find made-for-mobile content. They will continue to provide their expertise, background and support via a revitalized .mobi Advisory Group (MAG), along with individual working relationships that are in place. dotMobi's founders have contributed greatly to the success of the .mobi domain so far. Their oversight and input has been helpful in achieving .mobi’s status as the 6th largest gTLD.

Early on, the value proposition of .mobi domains needed the vision — and voice — of key players in the mobile industry to ensure that the domain was embraced in a way that would advance the mobile Web. In 2010, the mobile Web has become a part of our daily lives, and an organization with proven expertise in the domain industry is needed to take the domain to the next level of growth.

Since Afilias already has the industry experience and currently serves as the technical operator for the .mobi domain, the synergy between the companies for this acquisition was a perfect fit. And since Afilias is already providing registry and DNS services for .mobi, Afilias’ acquisition of dotMobi will be smooth and uneventful — likely invisible — for .mobi registrants, registrars and site visitors.