Numeric Domains

WSJ's Numbers Guy Zeros in on Numeric Domains

Nice to see more traditional mainstream media beginning to report increasingly on the growing phenomenon that are numeric domains. In a December 5, 2008 piece, among other observations, Carl Bialik skimmed the surface on recent top numeric domain sales (as oft reported here and at DN Journal).

"Industry watchers say Web users should get used to visiting sites whose names are numeric...The increase in Web navigation from cellphones adds to the trend, because on a numeric keypad, it's easier to type out a two-digit domain than a long word".

Hmmph... whoda thunk?

And it's not just the online WSJ's Bialik that's publicly singing the virtues of these numeric gems. Sedo's COO, Jeremiah Johnston adds "Every region of the world, no matter the culture, has some kind of tie to numerology".

Even the sluggos over at prestigious Wharton, specifically one perfesser Eric T. Bradlow , weighs in with his Harvard backed PhD to opine... "I do think you will see a movement toward numerically named Web sites. They have this perception of technology and newness."

We couldn't agree more. Nudoms are invited to contact Mr. Bialik at his blog.

Emerging Markets Beating a Path on Mobile Browsers

Perhaps the most telling statement that the mobile web is coming of age is suggested in this snippet  about emerging markets from the December 5, 2008 Wall Street Journal.

"... Many people have turned instead to accessing the Internet with their mobile phone in the past year as falling costs, increased bandwidths and improvements in browser technology have made it quicker to surf from a cellphone. For many, browsing on a handheld device is a cheaper alternative to buying a PC or paying for home Internet service."

Many consumers want to use phones that cost around $100 to do tasks such as accessing email and social-networking sites. Consumers worldwide can easily access some of the most popular social networking sites using numeric domains. Simply enter the numeric domain equivalents of these sites into any mobile browser to access the respective mobile versions:

• Facebook - Enter 32232665.com
  

• MySpace - Enter 6977223.com
  

• Twitter - Enter 8948837.com
  

• Linked (In) - Enter 546533.com
  

Billions Becoming the Norm

Here's another milestone all NuDoms should be happy about. The vast majority of those over a billion cell phones sold (as noted below), are capable of accessing the Internet. As more mobile Web sites are developed, the take-up of numeric domains should also increase.

      San Francisco - With more than 1 billion phones sold globally for the first time, 2007 was a banner year for mobile phone sales. Worldwide sales of mobile phones ended up surpassing 1.15 billion units in 2007, a 16 percent increase from 2006 sales of 990.9 million, according to figures from Gartner.

Emerging markets, especially China and India, are now the driver for growth, with many people in the countries now buying their first phone.

Full story

Developing Nations - Picking Up the Mobile Pace

That venerable organization, UNCTAD, (who dat?, ed.) an offshoot of the UN claims that "Mobile phone users in developing nations now make up 58% of handset subscribers worldwide". And according to the ITU , mobile phone penetration rates are expected to reach 50 percent by early this year with the three billion subscription mark already passed some months ago.

Unsurprisingly, most of that growth is coming from emerging markets like Africa, which has come up with a growth rate of 50 percent in the last few years. The stars of the show, equally predictably, have been the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) adding one billion new users between them last year.

Undoubtedly, the vast majority of the mobile phones being purchased are NOT of the Smart phone and qwerty keyboard variety. They are of the standard key pad alpha-numeric configuration used on billions of cell phones world wide.

As our unofficial anecdotal learning curve suggests, many new cell phone users will type-in random numbers into their browsers to test the wireless internet waters. These meanderings eventually lead subscribers to properly formatted internet sites designed to deliver information and services. As their efforts improve access over time, they will come to realize that  inputting 42637.com leads to "games", 2428.com leads to "chat", 6397.com leads to "news", 32232665.com leads to Facebook etc. Companies delivering mobile content such as Worddial continue to see growing traffic from these developing countries.

This can only bode well for increased use of numeric domains.

Vodafone slashes UK data costs

FT.com

Vodafone yesterday made an aggressive push to generate more revenue from mobile internet services by slashing prices in the UK, one of its core European markets.

The move came as Vodafone indicated it should generate £2bn of revenue from mobile data services in 2007-08, which would be an increase of about a 40 per cent on the previous year.

Vodafone is looking to offset falling revenue from mobile phone calls with rising sales from data services, such as web surfing on handsets.

Consumer adoption of mobiles offering internet access is rising significantly and increasing numbers of consumers and businesses are buying datacards that provide wireless internet access for laptops.

Arun Sarin, Vodafone's chief executive, said the UK move could be followed in other countries. "We are obviously trying to stimulate the market," he added.

Crispy Mobilistas Paid "Per Tap"?

Master spinmeister and CEO of Crisp Wireless, Boris Fridman, continues to weave his mLogic magic. His quarry this time around is the inimitable A & E Television Network, capably represented by Senior VP spokesthingy, Paul Jelinek.

Boris and Paul have just announced their partnership to take several AETV channels mobile.

Paul said: “This initiative is a great way for us to extend our consumer’s passion for our brands and programming to a mobile audience. We look forward to working closely with Crisp to create branded mobile experiences that our audiences can take with them on the go.” 

To which Boris replied: “A&E Television Networks has a long reputation for creating quality programming that inspires fans to stay tuned. Now they can stay tuned wherever they go. We are extremely pleased to work with AETN to help them build a mobile advertising channel.”

Kool. So far, so good. I love A & E!

To access the new mobile channels, all A & E's customers have to do is to open their cell phone internet browser (the http:// portion is usually pre-populated), and enter the URL of the channel of their choice. So for AETN, enter mobile.aetn.com. For the History Channel, enter mobile.history.com and for the Biography Channel, enter mobile.biography.com. Press 'send', 'call', 'go' (or other appropriate launch function) and you're taken directly to the channel of your choice. Simple right?

                                W R O N G !!!

Look, mobile is supposed to fun. It's supposed to be simple and enjoyable. What Boris and his merry band of Mobilistas have done is created an access system that is almost guaranteed to frustrate customers. Frustration leads to aggravation and aggravation leads to abandonment. And if customers abandon the A & E mobile program in sufficient numbers, Paul and his A & E bosses will not be happy campers.

On the majority of the world's cell phones, to type in mobile.aetn requires 22 input taps. Tap the '6' key once for the letter 'm', the cursor usually automatically moves to the next space, then tap the '6' key three times for the letter 'o', then tap the '2' key twice to get the letter 'b'... and so on. The 'dot' usually requires you to hold down the '1' key.

(The ".com" portion of the URL is common to every input method so it will be ignored here for comparison purposes).

To type in mobile.history requires 34 input taps, and

To type in mobile.biography also requires 34 input taps.

It's hard enough trying to type on those tine cell phone dial pads. Why does it have to be so complicated. There is a much easier way to access the mobile channels. It's by numeric domains.

If numeric domains were used, 'AETN' (2386) could be accessed by inputting only 4 vs. 22 inputs, 'History' (4478679) with only 7 vs. 34 inputs and 'Biography" (246472749) with only 9 vs. 34 inputs. If it's all about speed, fewer taps wins, thumbs down.

Here's a novel idea. If, as they elude to above, Boris and Paul want to provide a mobile experience wherever customers go, at least make it as easy as possible to get to where they want them to go. Give some thought to what the customer experience will be.

Stay tuned indeed.

I'm All (rabbit) Ears

As mentioned here previously, one of the key areas I think is ripe for mass cell phone adoption is television and/or streaming media with all the relevant genres and content types (movies, clips, shorts, mobisodes, minisodes, snips and any number of other concoctions). Mobile handset functionality improvements, broadband price rate reductions and growing consumer demand are forcing the major players to meet eyeball-to-eyeball to hammer out ways to satisfy that demand. Backstopping every aspect of these discussions is the old adage - "It ain't the money." "It's the money!"

RCR Wireless' Matt Kapko peeked in on the Las Vegas NATPE show to learn first hand how some of the combatants see the landscape developing.

Some of the more frank comments came from NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker. Seems Mr. Zucker "didn’t mince words in this morning’s keynote here at NATPE when he described the struggle his company is facing as it watches traditional lines of thinking fall by the wayside.

“The tumult is likely to continue,” he said. “It has been a great run, but today we need a different message.”

Zucker acknowledged that a significant portion of the industry is under pressure and that the status quo will ultimately lead to failure. Change often requires a catalyst, he said, and in November Hollywood got one in the form of the writers’ strike that has brought much of the industry to a grinding halt.

Zucker admits he doesn’t have all the answers, yet says he’s committed to experimenting with new approaches to long-standing norms in the industry.

Zucker also talked about continuing to embrace new distribution platforms in mobile and online. “We have to be everywhere,” he said, but didn’t elaborate on future plans.

“We’re starting to see mobile devices live up to their promise” of un-tethering consumers’ TV-viewing experience from the home, he said.

According to reports, Zucker said the mobile-phone industry needs to cut entertainment companies better deals for providing content to handsets.

Full article here.

Mobile Web Access? Add Numeric Domains to the URL Mix

As millions of people around the globe migrate to the wireless Web using their cellphones/mobiles, an emerging battle is brewing. It is being played out, largely under the radar, and is being promulgated and shaped by competing, yet parallel forces. There are thousands of businesses in a mad dash to deliver their goods, services and content (infotainment), to consumers via your wireless device. The race is on, and the key challenge is - how to get YOU, the mobile Web PAYING customer, to ACCESS mobile Web sites using their preferred method of access?

I'll try to clarify what this all means and how the various methods to access the mobile Web impact both content providers and consumers. In the end, the market will decide and the paying CUSTOMER will determine which way works best for them.

RCR Wireless News recently featured a story entitled "URL battle: m vs. .mobi.

Confusion still reigns in figuring out the best way to get to mobile Web".

I profess that the current slate of "expert" analysts, scribes and other gurus are missing a significant piece of the puzzle and that the headline should read:

"URL Access to the Mobile Web: What Works Best: Alpha, "m", .mobi or Numeric Domains?".

The RCR article is reproduced below in black lettering. My comments and observations are in color.

RCR: There is no shortage of reasons why traffic on the wireless Web hasn’t matched the sky-high forecasts of a few years ago. But one of the biggest stumbling blocks may also be the most overlooked.

A recent study from JupiterResearch found that nearly twothirds of mobile-phone subscribers worldwide don’t use their handsets to access the Internet.

By definition, this suggests that over one third of cellphone/mobile subscribers ARE using the wireless Web. With over 3 billion subscribers worldwide, one third is a significant number.

RCR: The market research firm called for an alternative to traditional browsers that would help users access information quickly, and said carriers could spur uptake by lowering mobile data prices.

Alternative browsers will not solve the challenge of easily accessing mobile Web sites. Competing platforms, competitive wireless operators and carriers, diverse hardware and software systems, not to mention the thousands of different wireless hand held devices, all suggest that the access issue be resolved at a much more fundamental level. It should be addressed at the level that makes the most sense to, and is easiest for the consumer to employ.

As much as we would all love to see data prices come down, lowering prices does NOT help users to access information more quickly.

RCR: “We’re not advocating the browser go away,” said analyst Julie Ask, “just that there should be an alternative for ‘glanceable’ content. “Consumers are willing to pay for good experiences and products. The industry should focus on this reality.”

Mobile browsers are not just going to "go away".

This issue surely goes well beyond just "glanceable" content. Consumers read books, watch movies, play games, watch sports and other activities via streaming media and generally surf the net far exceeding that which is only "glanceable". Consumers will pay for what I call a "beyond expectations" experience (starting with easy access), in order to enjoy the wireless Web.

RCR: Browser alternatives such as widgets or applets could allow users to access information with fewer clicks, JupiterResearch said, improving the user experience and helping to increase traffic overall. Such an application could help ease many of the pain points that accompany mobile phones, including the small screens and limited functionality of 12-key phones.

Widgets and applets will most certainly find their way into the wireless ecosystem, using fewer clicks, and make it easier for users to access the wireless Web. But again there are, and always will be, factors associated with hardware, software, browsers, screen size, resolution, bandwidth etc. that will complicate consumer education, acceptability and usage.

RCR: But how do you get there?  ;-)

But one of the biggest challenges on the wireless Web is the lack of a uniform URL format. The traditional Internet has thrived thanks to the familiar .com style (and a few variations, such as .net and .org), but the mobile industry still has yet to settle on a format.

We can all agree that there are many ways to skin this cat. But here is where I vehemently doth protest! The fact is...WE ALREADY HAVE A UNIFORM URL FORMAT! Lest that was not stated clearly enough:

           WE  ALREADY  HAVE  A  UNIFORM  URL  FORMAT!

They're called TLD's or top level domains. They include .com, .net, .org etc., and Country Code, or ccTLD's. They were designed from the very start to enable anyone, anywhere on the planet to access the Web. By extension, anyone with a cellphone/ mobile device and a wireless connection, should also be able to access any properly formatted Web site using those same TLD's.

The fact is, we don't need a new fandangled mTLD like .mobi to access the wireless Web. We have all the tools available to do so without introducing another 'extension' that seemingly was solely created to showcase the pompous attitudes of cash rich international corporations looking to capitalize on their stranglehold on customers who consume their respective products and services.

As one of the founding fathers of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee has staunchly...

"opposed the addition of new tier domain names like ‘.xxx’ and ‘.mobi’. In fact, when the ‘.mobi’ came into existence, he was the biggest dissenter. He argues that every one should be able to access the same web, irrespective of whether it is from a computer or a mobile."

For dozens of reasons, in my humble opinion, .mobi is a non-starter. I don't think that consumers understand it and I don't think that they will enthusiastically incorporate it into their mobile Web  experience. Properly formatted, Web sites using the ubiquitous .com extension and other primary TLD's, are quite capable of delivering a "beyond expectations" mobile Web experience to consumers.

RCR: Indeed, a quick check of The Nielsen Co.’s top five mobile Internet destinations reveals five different URL formats. Yahoo, which topped Nielsen’s list, uses the letter M near the beginning of the URL to denote its mobile site, http://us.m.yahoo.com. Google opts to use the letter M at the end of its traditional URL. The letters WAP appear in AOL’s wireless tag, while The Weather Channel chooses to insert the letters XHTML in its URL.

Many of the most popular sites employ device-recognition technology, of course, and can redirect mobile users to the appropriate site. But many common sites don’t use such software — or, oftentimes, the technology fails. So a mobile user who isn’t directed to the site via links, or who doesn’t know exactly which URL to type in, can suffer through the miserable experience of trying to view a traditional Internet destination on a mobile phone.

Now we get to the meat of the matter... access. More importantly, simple, easy access to the wireless Web. Let's use the Yahoo example cited above and let's also assume a level playing field in that:

* the destination Web site is properly formatted for optimum viewing on cell phones and mobiles

* standard key pad type cellphones and mobiles are being used (Not qwerty key pads)

* the destination Web site is being accessed via direct browser type-in navigation and not being accessed by bookmark or via a link

* Users have navigated to and have opened their wireless browsers

* the http:// portion of the URL is already pre-populated and the cursor is positioned properly and flashing and ready to accept key pad URL inputs

Here are the steps required to access the destination mobile Web site using the various methods.

Sites equipped with device-recognition technology "sniff" the incoming browser. If it detects that  the browser is from a mobile device, it directs the request to the mobile formatted Web site. If it detects a regular internet browser, it sends the request to the regular Web site.

Device detection mehods continue to improve, but as stated above, "many common sites don't use such software - or, oftentimes, the technology fails". In any event, Users still need to type-in the letters of the URL by multi-tapping the corresponding numbers on often very small mobile dial pads. In this case"

1) Using standard alphabetical input method with device recognition software:

Input requirement is: yahoo.com

Y = number 9 tapped 3 times to get to the letter "Y"

A = number 2 tapped 1 time to get to the letter "A"

H = number 4 tapped 2 times to get to the letter "H"

O = number 6 tapped 3 times to get to the letter "O"

O = number 6 tapped 3 times to get to the letter "O"

Typing in the .com portion adds 8 taps and, except for .mobi, is common to all of these examples.

In this instance, even with the device recognition technology, a total of 20 input taps are required to access the Yahoo mobile Web site.

Imagine the frustration if you are "thick-thumbed", or your key pad is so small that you keep making mistakes and have to keep going back and re-inputting information. Frustration leads to abandonment. And abandonment can wreak havoc when you are trying share information or make a sale.

2) Using the "M" method - Alphabetical input with NO device recognition software:

Input requirement is: us.m.yahoo.com. Using the same method as above:

U = 2 taps

S = 4 taps

(.) dot = 1 tap (usually reached by holding down the "1" key)

YAHOO = 12 taps

.com = 8 taps

In this instance, the "M" method requires 27 input taps to get to the Yahoo mobile Web site.

That's 35% more input taps and 35% more chance for input error.

3) Using the .mobi method:

Input requirement is: yahoo.mobi

YAHOO = 12 taps

.mobi = 10 taps

In this instance, the .mobi method requires 22 input taps. That's more than method 1 and less than method 2. However, the key question is, of the over 3 billion cell phone/ mobile subscribers worldwide, how many of them know about the .mobi extension, let alone understand the concept and are typing it into their mobile browsers?

4) Using the numeric domain equivalent of Yahoo:

Input requirement is: 92466.com

YAHOO = 5 taps

(.) com = 8 taps

In this instance, ONLY 13 taps are required to get to the Yahoo mobile Web site.

That's 58%, 107% and 69% respectively FEWER inputs than the other methods.

Other benefits of Numeric Domains include:

  

1. Simple input. It's much easier to enter Yahoo (.com) - four input clicks - than it is to enter a lengthy sub-domain required to get to the same Web site.
 
2. Numeric-domains reduce input error that leads to frustration and abandonment.
 
3. Numeric-domains are hand held device agnostic, wireless carrier agnostic, language and location agnostic. They are equal in the entire global community. You get to the same Web site by entering 92466.com whether you are Beijing, Boston or Bali. Anyone, anywhere on the planet with a wireless enabled browser and network access can access your Web site anytime, day or night.
 
4. Numeric domains reduce dependency on expensive "on deck" content often bundled by the wireless operators/carriers. Content providers typically pay dearly to list and sell their content on-deck, yet have little influence over the location or positioning within the deck and they have even less influence regarding the amount of promotion done by the carrier.
 
5. Numeric domains allow content providers a direct link to their customers and afford greater influence of the user experience.
 
6. Numeric domains enable content providers a method to bypass wireless carriers' expensive billing systems (often 30-60% of sales) and to deliver content direct to their customers with a wide variety of payment options paving the way for content providers to retain a larger slice of the profits.
 
7. Numeric domains provide a strong alternative to CSC's - Common short codes, or just short codes. Short codes, primarily used for "text" campaigns - which also pad the coffers of the carriers, are wireless carrier-controlled. They are NOT owned by the companies or individuals that are running and paying for mobile marketing campaigns. Short codes are rented on a monthly basis (starting at $500 per short code, per month for a random 5-6 digit code, and $1,000 per month, per code for specific or custom codes). They can take months to secure and typically are used only for limited campaign durations.

Organizations, companies, entertainers, celebrities etc. that own their numeric domain:

* can align the numeric domain with their brand; ESPN=3776.com, Money=66639.com, Jenna=53662.com

* can plan international marketing, sales and promotional campaigns around the numeric domain because numbers are the same throughout most of the world

* do not have to wait hat-in-hand for wireless carriers to "bless" their short code applications and allow them access to wireless subscribers

   

* do not have to pay expensive "rental" fees for short codes that come with implicit texting costs, long lead times and the over site of finicky wireless carriers.

RCR: Top Level Domain Ltd., or mTLD, has built an impressive bank account — and an army of critics — with its .mobi effort. The company has auctioned off scores of .mobi domains, and hopes to become the default format for mobile Internet users. Consumers looking for The Weather Channel on a mobile phone would know to check weather.mobi, according to the plan, just as they would type in weather.com on a computer.

mTLD has built and impressive bank account, but can you name for me, any .mobi sites that you visit on a regular basis? Can you tell mi if any of your friends, colleagues or business associates frequent .mobi sites?

RCR: Lack of traction

But critics point to mTLD’s lack of traction among established Internet players, pointing to the growing popularity of using the letter M to signify mobile URLs. Adding a single letter — and dropping the traditional “www” — is easier for users to remember and enter on a keypad, of course. And, as evidenced by Nielsen’s two most popular mobile sites, the format may be in the process of becoming the new mobile standard.

"May be", we'll see. No question, the jury (consumers) is still out. The fact remains that it is easier to input numbers into telephones that it is to input letters.

RCR: “I am a huge evangelist of the ‘m. solution,’ posted James Whatley of SMStextnews.com. “Facebook has done a (lot) of ground work in this area by introducing m.facebook.com to the masses. To my mind, the ‘m.’ is slowly becoming the de facto mobile Web site standard.”

I am a huge evangelist of the numeric domain solution. To my mind, numeric domains will find their niche and potentially become the de facto standard.

If you're still with me here, you are potentially a great NuDom (Numeric Domainer) and I owe you a beer ;-) At present, there is no one "right" way, they all can get you there.  But  I think that it is at best, short-sighted for the wireless Glitterati to totally ignore such a potentially powerful option to access the wireless Web.

I know this has been a rather lengthy post and I still haven't touched on all the points that could be incorporated here. I could give you dozens of examples of hugely successful pure numeric domain Web sites, sites that enjoy millions of unique visitors each and every month.

I invite your comments, challenges and observations.

OK - Try this one last example:

As our RCR writer illustrates, type in m.facebook.com. Go ahead, it's only 29 input taps.

Now, (and actually do this because it works), enter the Facebook numeric domain, 32232665.com. It's only 16 inputs. I promise you'll get there faster, safer and with with much less jet lag.

Cheers,

A Third Of Japanese Will Type In A URL On Mobile

Our good friends over at "Uber Cool" moco, report on a Cross Marketing survey of Japanese mobile phone users indicating, among other things, that fully 33.3% of respondents type the URL into their cell phone browsers. Good news for forward thinking companies that want to make it even easier for their customers to enter URLs by incorporating numeric domains to access their Web sites.

A Japanese survey of 300 mobile phone users from the Cross Marketing monitor group has shown what percentage of people will use a particular method to access the mobile internet. When using a phone to get more information about an advertisement 41.7 percent said they would scan a QR Code and 34.7 percent said they would send a blank e-mail and access the URL in the reply, reports . Most interestingly, 33.3 percent responded that they would type in the URL directly to access the information. That suggests that the concern that people won’t enter URLs onto mobile phones is misplaced—as people get used to using the mobile internet they’ll be more happy to enter a URL...providing it’s of a sensible size, of course. 15.7 percent of respondents said they don’t access the mobile internet.

The survey also showed that 58.3 percent of people use favorites/bookmarks and 44 percent access from the start page menu—which means that 56 percent of respondents said they never access the mobile internet from the carriers’s start page. Is this good news or bad news? I reckon it’s good news as it indicates that if carriers tear down their “walled gardens” almost half of their users will continue to access content from the start page, but a lot of people know exactly where they want to go, which is good news for independent creators