mTLD will auction the first ten “premium” .mobi domain names at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East domain conference. The title might be a little harsh, but I can’t fathom what mTLD hopes to achieve by this, unless it’s publicity and more money for them. All Neil Edwards, CEO of dotMobi, said about this was: “Given the strong demand for .mobi domain names, bidding at this initial auction will most likely be exciting. We anticipate that the winning bidders of these premium name sites will develop relevant and useful content for mobile Internet consumers.”
There’s no information given about how the auction will take place, or whether you need to attend the conference to bid on the domains. I have a nightmare scenario in my head of a spruiker up on stage extolling the virtues of the different domains as if they were bachelors at a fundraiser.
Any and all premium domains should be allocated in a fair and sober process — if by auction it should be open to all, carefully planned to avoid anyone playing the system and definitely not a propaganda stunt. The 10 .mobi domains to be auctioned are “celebs”, “cheaptickets”, “flowers”, “fun”, “gossip”, “hot”, “laugh”, “party”, “stockquotes” and “wow.”
And now for some figures: “More than 150,000 .mobi domains have been registered since general registration commenced on October 11. dotmobi expects to attract more than 300,000 within the next 12 months.” (press release)
Press Release:
–.Mobi Launches Today
–Dotmobi To Auction Top Drawer Names
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